BBC Proms has revealed details of the four mystery Proms taking place this summer
In response to the ever developing pandemic landscape, planning these concerts was held to enable the festival to be flexible and respond to the changing times. For the first time, the Proms Festival Orchestra will come together for a concert on Wednesday 8 September. Made up exclusively of freelance musicians, conductor Mark Wigglesworth will lead the orchestra in Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and Mahler’s Symphony No.5.
On Friday 20 August the Britten Sinfonia and National Youth Chamber Choir perform Mozart’s Requiem conducted by David Bates. The Prom will open with a selection of excerpts from operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau and an orchestral work by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
On Monday 23 August acclaimed duo Catrin Finch (harp) and Seckou Keita (kora) will perform at the Proms together for the first time.
For the final mystery Prom on Friday 10 September, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov returns to the Royal Albert Hall to perform J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the penultimate night of the 2021 festival.
David Pickard, Director of the Proms says: ‘Programming responsively has been an exciting challenge for this year’s Proms. We held back four concerts in order to allow us to put together the final touches on a season that shows the breadth and talent we have in live music-making today. We are very pleased to be able to engage so many outstanding freelance musicians to form our first Proms Festival Orchestra. Coming together for Mahler’s Fifth Symphony will be an extraordinary and moving experience given the tremendous challenges faced by freelance musicians throughout the pandemic.’
How to get BBC Proms tickets and the conditions for entry to the Royal Albert Hall in 2021
The BBC Proms will open at full capacity with additional tickets for the first half of the Proms are on sale now, and tickets for the second half of the season going on sale at 9am on Saturday 24 July.
UPDATE 28.7 – PROMMING THIS SUMMER
We are delighted that Promming will return this summer. Things are a little different this year and we have had to adapt the Promming experience. The low-price, on-the-day Promming tickets will be released at 9am on the day of the concert as usual, but will be sold online only.
For the first time Prommers are able to book two Promming tickets per concert.
Also, for the first time, Promming seats will be made available in the Choir Stalls as well as the usual standing places in the Arena and Gallery which have a smaller capacity this year due to production requirements. By opening the Choir to Promming we honour the tradition of offering as many tickets at possible at a low price point.
Promming tickets cost just £6 (plus £1.12 booking fee).
For full details of Promming please click here
Promming tickets will be available on the day of each concert priced at just £6 (plus booking fee). There will be standing tickets available in the Arena and Gallery with additional seated Promming tickets in the Choir.
The safety of our audiences is our main priority and we are taking every step we can to open the Proms safely without social distancing.
To do this, audiences will be strongly encouraged to wear masks for the duration of their visit and their Covid Status Certification will be checked on arrival at the Royal Albert Hall.
In order to enter the Royal Albert Hall, those over 18 years old, will be required to demonstrate one of the following:
- evidence of a negative lateral flow test, either taken at home or at a test centre, within 48 hours of the performance
- evidence of double vaccination provided via the NHS App or letter provided by the NHS
- proof of natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test taken within 180 days of the performance
Those under the age of 18 should have verbal confirmation from a parent or guardian that they have not received a positive test.
The BBC Proms opens on Friday 30 July and runs until Saturday 11 September. Heralding a summer of live music on a scale not seen since before the pandemic with 52 concerts over 44 days featuring 30 orchestras and ensembles, over 100 soloists and conductors and more than 2,000 musicians, this ambitious season celebrates live music-making across the UK.
For the latest programme and ticket information click here
For full information about attending the Proms please see the ‘Proms’ section (click here)