National orchestras to present summer of music across the UK

UK’s national orchestras are set to come together for a summer of music, bringing orchestral music to the people in public spaces across the country. Alongside the BBC Proms, which returns to the Glasshouse International Centre for Music as well as presenting performances in Aberdeen, Belfast and Newport, symphony orchestras will perform in public spaces including Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, West Bromwich Football Ground, M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, Birmingham New Street Station among other venues.

The summer of music also follows a national campaign launched in May by the Association of British Orchestras and its 200 member organisations and campaign partners to celebrate classical and orchestral music. Performances kicked off on 27 June with London Philharmonic Orchestra composer-in-residence Tania León teaming up with postgraduate choreographers from Trinity Laban to perform new works for dance at London’s Southbank.

Later this week the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will team up with Beatles tribute band The Bootleg Beatles for a concert celebrating the 50^th anniversary of The Beatles with all the classic late period hits. The performance begins at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool before travelling to The Glasshouse, Gateshead and Usher Hall, Edinburgh.

This is followed by a free concert at London’s Trafalgar Square where the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) joins 50 young musicians from the LSO East London Academy for a programme including Brahms’ Rondo alla zingarese and Stravinsky’s Petrushka conducted by Duncan Ward.

The BBC Proms starts on 19 July featuring BBC’s own ensembles perform in a total of 38 Proms, and 20 orchestras from across the UK perform throughout the season until 14 September. This year BBC Proms returns to Gateshead for a weekend-long residency at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music.

Alongside the BBC Proms, the summer of music will see orchestras including Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra perform across outdoor venues with concerts featuring works by Wagner, J S Bach and Osvaldo Golijov among others.