BBC Proms 2025 | London
Jul 18–Sep 13, 2025 (UTC)
London
The 2025 BBC Proms season brings together many of the world’s finest international artists and orchestras, featuring more than 40 outstanding ensembles from across the UK: a series of concerts that can only be experienced at the world’s greatest classical music festival.
The BBC’s own orchestras and choirs form the backbone of the Proms, making nearly 50 appearances throughout the season. The BBC Singersperform at 11 Proms, including the First and Last Nights, showcasing their broad range of repertoire.
Sakari Oramo conducts the First Night of the Proms, with tenor Caspar Singh, baritone Gerald Finley, violinist Lisa Batiashvili – including the world premiere of The Elements by Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen, commissioned by the BBC. The Last Night of the Proms is conducted by Elim Chan and features trumpeter Alison Balsom and soprano Louise Alder, with two world premieres, by Camille Pépin and Rachel Portman: the latter being the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
The BBC Proms makes its debut in both Bradford, as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, and Sunderland, bringing the festival to new audiences. The Proms also returns to Bristol and Gateshead for two three-day weekend residencies, and a special Prom in Belfast marks the centenary of Radio 4’s popular Shipping Forecast.
The season features a compelling line-up of international orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Major soloists include pianists Yunchan Lim and Sir András Schiff, violinists Hilary Hahn and Janine Jansen and soprano Golda Schultz.
Nineteen world, European or UK premieres will be performed, including 10 works commissioned by the BBC, showcasing an extraordinary range of contemporary composition.
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Chineke! Orchestra for the first time, in their tenth-anniversary year.
Anna Lapwood co-curates the first overnight Prom since 1983, featuring pianist and YouTube sensation Hayato Sumino, cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge and the boundary-crossing Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene.
The Proms marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Shostakovich with eight of his works performed during the season, including Aurora Orchestra playing Symphony No. 5 entirely from memory. Other composer anniversaries include Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Arvo Pärt.
Legendary Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi makes his Proms debut, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in his symphony inspired by the tragic events of Hiroshima: The End of the World.
Across the season there is a wealth of opera, including a collaboration between the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the English National Opera for The Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District by Shostakovich – only performed in its entirety once before at the Proms. Glyndebourne brings their new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to the festival, and Puccini’s Suor Angelica is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra with Chief Conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano.
Large-scale choral repertoire features throughout the season, from Ralph Vaughan Williams’s rarely performed oratorio Sancta Civitas on the First Night, to Striggio’s Mass in 40 Parts from Le Concert Spirituel. There is also a Proms debut from Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, with Handel’s Alexander’s Feast.
The Proms continues its tradition of collaborating with other BBC brands. In addition to the 100 Years of the Shipping Forecast Prom in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Claudia Winkleman hosts The Traitors Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, exploring themes of treachery and betrayal in classical music. Concerts for children include a new CBeebies Prom: A Magical Bedtime Story as well as the CBeebies Prom: Wildlife Jamboree in Gateshead.
The Proms continues to welcome non-classical artists, presenting their music in new orchestral settings – this year hosting the multi-Grammy winning musicians St. Vincent and Samara Joy. Trevor Nelson presents the Soul Revolution Prom and Anoushka Shankar makes a welcome return to the Proms with the world-premiere performance of her new album.