Proms conductors we salute you!

You'll see them standing usually on a raised podium at the front of the Royal Albert Hall stage, waving a baton or their hands at the performers and superb music happens. It's like watching magic and it can take your breath away.

A great conductor inspires fantastic performances; as you're listening the music comes to life. Proms 2015 has been full to the brim with world-class conductors. Here are some snapshots of a few of these great conductors in mid-flow, producing some of the best performances we've had the pleasure of hearing at the Proms. Encore!

The BBC Symphony Orchestra Principle Conductor Sakari Oramo kicked off proceedings in First Night of the Proms and returned twice more during the season to conduct Prom 47 and Prom 58.

Listen to Sakari Oramo conducting Sibelius in Prom 58.

Susanna Mälkki initially trained as a cellist before switching to conducting. We're very happy because we had the absolute treat of watching her conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra through Holst's epic The Planets, as well as works by Pierre Boulez and Luca Francesconi in Prom 19.

Watch a video of Susanna Mälkki conducting Mars from The Planets.

Grandson of a Soviet film music composer, son of a conductor, Vladimir Jurowski followed in his family's footsteps and studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory. In Prom 66 he took charge of Shostakovich's dark and mighty Eighth Symphony, alongside a rare Schoenberg piano concerto and a Beethoven overture.

Listen to the whole of Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

John Wilson founded his own orchestra, surprisingly enough called the John Wilson Orchestra, who have performed two fantastic Proms this year celebrating musical greats - the 'Sultan of Swing' Frank Sinatra in Prom 30 and musicals composer-extraordinaire Leonard Bernstein in Prom 67.

Watch John Wilson conducting as Jamie Parker sings Frank Sinatra's Cheek to Cheek.

When she was a child, Xian Zhang learned music with her mother on a piano built by her father. She is now the Music Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Xian Zhang conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Prom 15 through a wide-ranging repertoire of Prokofiev, Qigang Chen and Rachmaninov.

Explore the whole of Prom 15, which Xian Zhang conducted.

Proms pro Edward Gardner pulled out all the stops during the recent Prom 54. He conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a vivid performance of Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta, full of big brass fanfares.

Listen to Edward Gardner conduct Janáček's Sinfonietta.

Michael Tilson Thomas has been celebrating his 20th season as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, currently the longest-tenured music director at any major American orchestra! After almost a decade since last visiting the Proms, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Orchestra returned to perform two brilliant Proms covering music by Schoenberg, Cowell, Mahler, Ives, Bartók and Beethoven.

Listen to the whole of Prom 60 here.

Listen to the whole of Prom 61 here.

Composer Eric Whitacre conducted a fantastic range of modern pieces in Prom 32, including the European premieres of two works - his own called Deep Field inspired by images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and a piece by composer Jonathan Newman.

Watch the video of Eric Whitacre conducting Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Tadaaki Otaka conducted an evening of British composers in Prom 26, including music by Walton, Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Grace Williams. Tadaaki Otaka has been the chief and principal conductor of several orchestras over the years, including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.

Listen to snippets from Prom 26.

Keith Lockhart conducted a huge star line-up of vocalists, soloists, boys' and girls' choirs, two choruses and the BBC Concert Orchestra in Prom 69 with Saint-Saëns's devilish Danse macabre, a world premiere of a trumpet concerto by Guy Barker and Orff's monumental Carmina burana. No mean feat.

Listen to Keith Lockhart conduct the exhilarating opening of Orff's Carmina Burana.

Listen to Keith Lockhart conduct Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre.

Marin Alsop will soon be making her second appearance conducting Last Night of the Proms. Ahead of this exciting engagement she conducted a complete Brahms-fest in Prom 62 with the German composer's Academic Festival Overture, Alto Rhapsody, Triumphlied and First Symphony. We can't wait to see her again on Last Night of the Proms!

Listen to Marin Alsop conduct Brahms's Academic Festival Overture.