Love her music - or not - you have to admit that singer-songwriter Katie Melua is hot property. So you can understand why the organisers of the BBC Proms in the Park are treating this as something of a coup.  | | BBC Phil play Proms in the Park |
Her two albums to date, Call Off The Search’ and ‘Piece By Piece’ have both topped the UK charts with sales of six million worldwide. The Georgian-born star sold out a 10 week European tour earlier this year and returns to Manchester on the back of a 3-month tour of the US in time to release her new single 'It's Only Pain'. "I had an amazing time when I played at the arena earlier the year," says Katie. "Since then I’ve toured the whole of Europe and coast to coast in North America but I am pleased to be back home and I’m looking forward to coming back to Manchester again." Star turnsLast year, it was Hayley Westenra who wowed the Proms audience. And now it's the turn of Katie Melua. BBC Young Musician of the Year Mark Simpson performs a classical concerto on the clarinet to complement Katie's melodic vocals.
The Manchester-based BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Stephen Bell, will present a rousing programme of classical music and will accompany Katie Melua, as she sings some of her well-known hits, before the national link-up to BBC1 live from the Royal Albert Hall. Manchester's King of Swing Cole Page and his 17 piece orchestra lead the pre-Proms entertainment getting the crowd in the mood. And also performing in the warm-up concert are local rising star Katie Bernstein, and ex-Coronation Street bad-boy heartthrob Jonathan Wrather. An expected audience of well over 10,000 will enjoy a packed programme of classical and opera favourites followed by a spectacular firework display from the roof of James Wyatt's neo-classical masterpiece, Heaton Hall. Listen live - on air and onlineYou can listen to the whole show - presented by Heather Stott - on BBC Radio Manchester - on air and online. [just click on the listen live link from 1900 BST] As in previous years, there will be a live TV link-up to the Royal Albert Hall in London for the Last Night of The Proms, giving the audience the chance to sing along to the traditional sequence of songs before a spectacular fireworks display. Televised highlights of all five Proms in the Park will also be shown as part of BBC1 and BBC2's live coverage of the Last Night of the Proms. Car ParkingThe main public car parks for Proms In The Park are: - The South Car Park - accessed off Sheepfoot Lane (A6044)
- The Papal Field Car Park - accessed off Bury Old Rd (A665)
- There will be a parking charge of £1 per car.
| 
