Sakari Oramo returns to the Royal Albert Hall on 18 July to inaugurate this year’s BBC Proms alongside BBC Symphony Orchestra. The programme opens with a tribute to the founder of the BBC Proms, with Arthur Bliss’ Birthday Fanfare for Sir Henry Wood, followed by Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides, and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, performed by Lisa Batiashvili. 

The second half of the concert brings us back to the UK, with Errolyn Wallen’s The Elements. Finally, Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley and British tenor Caspar Singh join for Vaughan-Williams’ oratorio Sancta Civitas. The orchestra is joined by the BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, and members of London Youth Choirs.