The Proms or BBC Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. The Proms were founded in 1895, and are now organised and broadcast by the BBC. Each season consists of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, chamber music concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the UK on the Last Night of the Proms, and associated educational and children's events. The season is a significant event in British culture and in classical music. Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the United Kingdom's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity. It can seat 5,272.
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety and size of settings, from private houses and small nightclubs, dedicated concert halls, amphitheatres and parks, to large multipurpose buildings, such as arenas and stadiums. Indoor concerts held in the largest venues are sometimes called arena concerts or amphitheatre concerts. Informal names for a concert include show and gig.
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert Newman together with Henry Wood. The hall had drab decor and cramped seating but superb acoustics. It became known as the "musical centre of the [British] Empire", and several of the leading musicians and composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries performed there, including Claude Debussy, Edward Elgar, Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss.
Aberdeen International Youth Festival, formerly the International Festival of Youth Orchestras, was a performing arts festival and one of Scotland's major international cultural events, which ran from 1973 to 2017.
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and has its headquarters at Kings Place. The leadership is rotated between four musicians: Matthew Truscott, Kati Debretzeni, Huw Daniel and Margaret Faultless.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB) is an English musical ensemble founded in 1985 as bit of fun by George Hinchliffe and Kitty Lux. The orchestra consists entirely of ukuleles of various sizes and registers from soprano to bass. The members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain wear evening dress sitting in a line behind music stands in a parody of a real orchestra, with musical comedy and general humour long being a feature of their act.
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO-GB) is the national youth orchestra of the United Kingdom, consisting of 164 members of ages 13 to 19 years. The players are selected by auditions which take place in the autumn each year at various locations in the country. The minimum standard needed to audition is ABRSM / Trinity Guildhall / London College of Music Grade 8 Distinction – though it is not necessary to have taken any examinations. The NYO's aim is to be "the most inspirational orchestra for young people" and at many of its concerts, all seats are only £5 for under 25s. In 2011, the orchestra was shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society's Best Ensemble Award. In 2012, the NYO received the Queen's Medal for Music. In 2015 the NYO received the Royal Philharmonic Society's Ensemble award, which recognised particularly the launch of NYO Inspire as well as their other work.
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international folk, roots and world music artists. The festival is produced and promoted by Glasgow Life. Donald Shaw, a founding member of Capercaillie, was appointed Celtic Connections Artistic Director in 2006.
The Prom at the Palace was a British classical music concert held in London in 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. It was held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 1 June 2002 forming part of the Golden Jubilee Weekend. It was the classical equivalent of the Party at the Palace, a pop/rock music event. Its name reflects the popular season of classical concerts held at the Royal Albert Hall, The Proms.
Philip Achille is a British harmonica player who attended Solihull School, a British independent school in the West Midlands. He is currently studying chromatic harmonica at the Royal College of Music.
Chen Jiafeng is a Chinese violinist.
The National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain, more commonly known as NCO, is a registered charity which provides orchestral training for children aged 7 to 14. The organisation comprises five age-banded orchestras and six regional orchestras. Entry is by audition and every year approximately 500 young musicians are selected to play in the orchestras. It offers a life-changing experience to talented young musicians.
Benjamin Grosvenor is a British classical pianist.
The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is a youth orchestra with members drawn from the 27 members states of the European Union. Since its foundation in 1976, it has connected music colleges and the professional music world for generations of European musicians. EUYO is considered one of the best youth orchestras in the world, achieving "extraordinarily high standards" and playing at all major European festivals, including the Proms, the Salzburg Festival, and Young Euro Classic.
The International Festival of Young Musicians – DAM Festival Pristina is one of the most prominent cultural events taking place in the capital city of Kosovo, Pristina. Founded in 2006, DAM Festival is an annual music festival which gathers young and talented national and international musicians from all over the world. This festival works on enriching the Kosovar cultural scene with the collision of the traditional and the contemporary. DAM Fest was founded by back then art student, now well known TV producer, musician, journalist and manager of Kosovo's Philharmonic Orchestra, Dardan Selimaj.
Taplow Choirs is a group of four professional youth choirs for young people which rehearse in the village of Taplow, UK near Slough. It was founded in September 2004 by Philip Viveash and Gillian Dibden MBE after both conductors split from Berkshire Maestros. They held their first concert in the Christmas of 2004. They frequently perform in venues such as Windsor Castle and other professional events around London, have been on international tours and won the BBC's choir of the year award.
Berkshire Maestros is the trading name of The Berkshire Young Musicians Trust, a musical education charity operating in Berkshire, United Kingdom.
Grace-Evangeline Mason is a British composer of contemporary classical music.
