Several of the Academy’s distinguished alumni can be seen taking centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall this summer. In the first week of the festival, sought-after tenor Allan Clayton performs Monologues for the Curious with the BBC Philharmonic (21 July), a piece written specifically for him by composer Tom Coult, who contributed a work to the Academy’s 200 PIECES series in 2022.
In August, we then look forward to Junior Academy alum, organist, conductor and broadcaster Anna Lapwood presenting an all-night prom (8 Aug) with avant-garde Baroque violinist Bjarte Eike (who returns to the Academy in November to collaborate with our students in the Resounding Shores series); BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Benjamin Grosvenor taking the solo role in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Ryan Bancroft (15 Aug); recent graduate Robert Forrest singing the role of Don Basilio in Glyndebourne’s production of The Marriage of Figaro (27 Aug) and tenor Stuart Jackson performing with the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Chorus in Handel’s Alexander’s Feast (30 Aug).
Furthermore, there will be a strong Academy representation in the performance of Delius’ A Mass of Life (18 Aug), as alum David Butt Philip sings alongside Honorary Academy Member and regular collaborator Roderick Williams, under the direction of the Academy’s Sir John Barbirolli Chair of Conducting, Sir Mark Elder.
Academy alumni will also be seen at the helm of orchestras in a variety of Proms. As its new Chief Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in works by Shostakovich, Ravel and Walton (20 July); our Sir Charles Mackerras Chair of Conducting Edward Gardner leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of 20th-century orchestral sound-pictures (10 Aug); Robert Ames travels to the Glasshouse in Gateshead to perform with Brit Award-winning artist JADE and the Royal Northern Sinfonia (25 July), before coming to the Royal Albert Hall to conduct the London Contemporary Orchestra in a concert with sitar virtuoso and composer Anoushka Shankar (12 Aug); Sir Simon Rattle leads the London Symphony Orchestra in a programme of folk songs and dances with Academy trombone professor Peter Moore (30 Aug), and then appears for the first time with Chineke! Orchestra to showcase Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony (5 Sep); and Ilan Volkov conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’ Second Symphony and Stravinsky’s Requiem Canticles (11 Sep).
Along with alumni, renowned artists and regular collaborators who work with our students feature prominently in this year’s festival too. The Academy’s Richard Rodney Bennett Professor of Music, Ryan Wigglesworth, performs in back-to-back Proms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (27 and 28 July), conducting Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Birtwistle’s Earth Dances, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and a world premiere of his own new work. Internationally acclaimed violinist Hilary Hahn, who was appointed as a visiting professor last year, is the soloist in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra’s performance of Dvořák’s colourful, folk-inspired Violin Concerto (26 Aug). Towards the end of the festival, Visiting Professor Nicky Spence sings alongside Academy alum and Vocal and Opera Coach Brindley Sherratt in English National Opera’s production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth (1 Sep).
Finally, Visiting Professor of Violin James Ehnes joins forces with our Henry Wood Chair of Conducting John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London for a programme of 20th-century orchestral showpieces, with James performing as the soloist in Bernstein’s Serenade (12 Sep).
Academy alum Sir Henry Wood played a major part in the founding of the BBC Proms Festival and conducted in its concerts for almost half a century. Today, we our proud to see that our alumni and collaborators continue to shape the festival through their talent and artistry. Find out more about our alumni here.
Anna Lapwood image © Charlotte Levy, Benjamin Grosvenor image © Marco Borggreve, James Ehnes image © Benjamin Ealovega, Roderick Williams image © Theo Williams