Young artists
The Proms plays host to a range of emerging young talent and some of the UK’s leading youth orchestras and choirs.
Published: 20 April 2017
The First Night of the Proms features the 240 singers that make up this year’s BBC Proms Youth Choir, comprising young people from the CBSO Youth Choir/University of Birmingham, the Cornwall Music Hub, Black Country Music Education Hubs and the BBC Proms Youth Choir Academy (14 July).
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain returns to the Royal Albert Hall stage under the baton of Thomas Adès. The performance includes his 2011 work Polaris, the London premiere of Francisco Coll’s Mural and Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite Of Spring (5 August).
Kirill Karabits leads the National Youth Choir of Great Britain in performances of two great choral works with orchestra: Prokofiev’s Seven, They Are Seven and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast (7 August).
The BBC Proms Youth Ensemble joins forces with Bang on a Can All-Stars for a specially commissioned work by Michael Gordon (17 August).
Young composers and musicians have the chance to collaborate with leading artists, including James Morrison, Nicola Benedetti and Chineke! as part of the BBC Proms Sessions run in partnership with Royal Albert Hall Education and Outreach.
Now in its 19th year, the BBC Proms Inspire scheme returns to provide a forum to discover and nurture the UK’s aspiring young composers aged 12 to 18 years. An Inspire Day on 14 August will give participants the chance to attend workshops with leading composers, while winners of this year’s competition will have their pieces performed at a special Proms Extra event and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
2016 BBC Young Musician winner, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and finalist, saxophonist Jess Gillam, both take to the Proms stage, as well as 22 current and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists including Annelien Van Wauwe, Beatrice Rana (pictured), Ashley Riches and the Van Kuijk Quartet (below).
Continuing its commitment to youth music, the Proms offers young performers the chance to play in Ten Pieces Presents… and the Relaxed Prom (23 and 29 July), two core projects from the BBC Proms Education and Outreach team.
The BBC Proms partners with the Poetry Society once more for the Proms Poetry Competition: A linked Proms Extra event will see winners from each category (12 to 18-year-olds, and 19-plus) invited to read their poems on stage at Imperial College Union (7 September).
