Prom prom prommmms

What I think you should see at the world's biggest classical music festival

Jun 24, 2025

Organist Anna Lapwood at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Nick Rutter

It’s taken me longer than I meant to engage with the BBC Proms 2025 programme, but I’ve managed it. More or less. This is a collection of recommendations that I think sound good, some of which I’ve chosen myself, and some of which have been picked out by people who know more than I do.

If you don’t manage to get advance tickets for the ones you want to see, there are literally about a thousand standing places available on the day at the Royal Albert Hall for £8. EIGHT QUID.

The Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy

Yeah there’s the first night of the Proms blah blah but this one, the next day, really kicks things off – the American jazz singer brings her gorgeous voice and musicality to the Proms for the first time with the BBC Concert Orchestra, for music by herself, and the likes of Thelonius Monk, Duke Ellington and Antônio Carlos Jobim. July 19

Mahler 7 and Tom Coult

John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic and tenor Allan Clayton in the world premiere of composer Tom Coult’s Monologues for the Curious, inspired by the ghost stories of M. R. James, followed by Mahler’s 7th symphony, his most enigmatic, some would say problematic, but I actually think it’s kind of amazing in its unpredictability. July 21

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Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Mark Simpson’s ZEBRA

The superb young Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe plays the world premiere of ZEBRA (or, 2-3-74: The Divine Invasion of Philip K. Dick), a guitar concerto created by Mark Simpson specially for him, inspired by the sci-fi of Philip K Dick, with the BBC Philharmonic. Plus Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration. July 22

Arooj Aftab and Ibrahim Maalouf

Music by two amazing musicians, both I think making their Proms debuts – the Pakistani-American singer and composer Aftab, who collaborates with Jules Buckley, and French-Lebanese trumpeter, composer and producer Maalouf, who opens the show alongside the BBC Singers and BBC SO. July 29

Yunchan Lim plays Rachmaninov

You’ll be lucky to get a ticket (it’s already returns only) but worth a try for the much-hyped (and with good reason) young South Korean pianist’s second Proms visit, tackling Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 4 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. August 1

Anna Lapwood: From Dark Til Dawn

The wildly popular Tiktok organist Anna Lapwood routinely rehearses on the Royal Albert Hall’s organ in the wee hours (because NOISE) so it makes sense that she’d do a concert overnight. She performs and curates a programme running from 11pm to 7am (including two intervals) with contributions from Bjarte Eike and his Barokksolistene doing a Nordic Alehouse Session, Pembroke College Choir, Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina and Chopin Competition semi-finalist – and YouTube sensation – Hayato Sumino making his Proms debut. August 8

The Planets and Star Wars

I mean, what could be more fun, to watch or to play? The brilliant Finnish-Ukrainian conductor Dalia Stasevska leads the National Youth Orchestra in a stonking programme of interplanetary music. August 9

Aigul Akhmetshina sings Ravel

I saw Aigul Akhmetshina sing Carmen earlier this year at the Royal Opera House and she was absolutely stunning. It’s Maurice Ravel’s 150th anniversary this year, and the Russian mezzo-soprano adds to the celebrations with this performance of his song cycle Shéhérazade, with the London Philharmonic conducted by Edward Gardner. August 10

Bolero, The Rite of Spring and Anna Thorvaldsdóttir

Ravel’s Bolero and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring are both completely thrilling in their own way. They’re joined in this BBC SO (led by conductor Eva Ollikainen) concert by the world premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s cello concerto, Before We Fall, played by Johannes Moser. I bloody love the cello, it’s my favourite instrument and I can’t wait for this. August 13

Joe Hisaishi and Steve Reich

The composer Joe Hisaishi makes his Proms debut conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in two massive pieces about devastation and destruction – his own The End of the World alongside Steve Reich’s post-nuclear epic The Desert Music. Which all feels a bit on the nose right now but there we are. August 14

Aurora: Shostakovich’s Fifth by heart

I’ve banged on and on about Aurora Orchestra’s memorised performances, they are some of the most extraordinary musical experiences I’ve had. This year their Prom (which they’re doing twice) tackles Shostakovich’s emotional rollercoaster Fifth Symphony, written when the composer was trying to balance his artistic and political integrity with the restrictions imposed by the oppressive Stalinist regime. August 16-17

Mäkelä conducts Mahler’s Fifth

The Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä is still in his twenties, and is hoovering up all the jobs. He leads top orchestras in Oslo and Paris, soon to be followed by Chicago and Amsterdam – the Royal Concertgebouw, with whom he travels to the Proms as Chief Conductor Designate. Their first concert focuses on Mahler’s magnificent 5th symphony, and their second on Mozart, Prokofiev & Bartók. August 23 and August 24

Adès conducts the BBC SO

The British composer and conductor Thomas Adès indulges his love for the Finnish composer Sibelius, and his obsession with nature and Finland’s landscape (despite the fact that Sibelius actually significantly preferred spending time in town) with a programme including both their works, plus the UK premiere of Gabriella Smith’s organ concerto, Breathing Forests. September 2

The BBC Proms runs from July 18 to September 13