NEW MUSIC – The world premieres of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 6 (completed by Anthony Payne), Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s new work for The Queen’s 80th birthday, and a new version of the Blue Peter theme are just three new music highlights in 2006. We also have UK premieres from such leading living composers as Osvaldo Golijov, HK Gruber and Magnus Lindberg, as well as original new voices Dai Fujikura and Benjamin Wallfisch, plus BBC commissions from British talents Julian Anderson, George Benjamin, James Dillon, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Ian Wilson.
VISITING ARTISTS – This year, international a rtistic talent includes Christoph Eschenbach (carrying forward the four-year-long Proms Ring cycle), Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, and Sir Simon Rattle along with a host of other leading names. Visiting orchestras – from Bamberg under Jonathan Nott and Budapest under Iván Fischer, to Pittsburgh under Sir Andrew Davis and Minnesota under Osmo Vänskä – plus Proms debuts from Stéphane Denève with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Philippe Jordan with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and many other major artists, together with a late-night celebration of Islamic music and culture, all add up to a truly international festival of outstanding talent in 2006. The full roster of artists can be seen at www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whatson/atoz_artist.shtml.
PROMS SATURDAY MATINEES – Following the success of last season’s Proms Chamber Music series in its new venue at Cadogan Hall, we’re very pleased to launch a new series: four Saturday matinee concerts highlighting the music of this year’s anniversary composers Mozart and Shostakovich in performances by leading British chamber orchestras. Read more about the Saturday Matinees and all the other Proms Extras events at www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whatson/talks.shtml.
THE VOICE – This year, we’re inviting Prommers to sing at the Proms for the first time (officially!) as part of a day devoted to the human voice. We are undertaking our biggest and boldest creative project to date – calling on more than 800 amateur singers drawn from a wide variety of singing backgrounds, and including 100 Prommers, two symphony orchestras, two conductors and the professional choir The Shout. Together, in two separate concerts, they perform two versions of a new work by Orlando Gough with a text by renowned playwright Caryl Churchill. You can find out more and apply to participate at www.bbc.co.uk/proms/newhorizons/thevoice.shtml.
a southern gal in the north 