HarrisonParrott at the BBC Proms

26 July 2011

The BBC Proms has begun in London's Royal Albert Hall, with the famous festival taking place over the next eight weeks.

The festival culminates in the Last Night of the Proms on 10 September, headlined by Susan Bullock. The British dramatic soprano will perform excerpts from Wagner's Götterdämmerung alongside the traditional closing celebrations featuring works by Parry, Arne and Elgar. The Last Night will be her second Proms 2011 performance – she also appears in the first ever Comedy Prom on 13 August.

Pianist Alice Sara Ott makes her Proms debut with the Grieg Piano Concerto. She will be joined by Sakari Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, who return to the festival after a seven-year absence. Also appearing at the Proms are the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich with David Zinman in works by Hillborg, Mozart and Beethoven; and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Manfred Honeck for two concerts.

Other artists featured during the course of the season include Stephen Hough, Lisa Batiashvili and Gil Shaham. Janine Jansen joins the Philadelphia Orchestra and Charles Dutoit for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, whilst Jean-Efflam Bavouzet returns to the festival to perform Bartók with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski. Mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon features in Rossini's William Tell with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano as part of the Proms' opening weekend.

Kirill Karabits brings his Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to the festival for a concert which includes Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2, while Oliver Knussen conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra as their Artist-in-Association.

Finally Christian Tetzlaff (who along with Susan Bullock is a Proms 'Featured Artist’) appears in three concerts this season – one of which includes the UK Premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s Violin Concerto.

For more details, please visit the BBC Proms website