BBC Proms Australia is music to Melbourne’s ears
Melbourne will play host to the iconic BBC Proms next month, thanks in part to support from the UK’s GREAT campaign.
BBC Proms, one of the world’s foremost musical experiences opens in Melbourne on 13 April, and will be the first time the event has been held outside the UK in this way. Taking place over four days (April 13-16) at Hamer Hall, BBC Proms Australia will bring the magic of the Proms to Australian audiences, providing a taster of this iconic festival.
The classical concert series also marks the first time that orchestras from three Australian cities have played together in one program. Internationally renowned Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Sir Andrew Davis will step up to the podium alongside the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Alondra de la Parra. The Sydney Youth Orchestra will perform Classics for Kids, a series of interactive concerts for children.
The spectacular Melbourne event will also feature another British icon, the naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who will be the filmed narrator of the Life Story Prom. Sir David’s video introductions will guide audiences through film sequences from the BBC’s stunning natural history television series Life Story, which will be played out on the big screen accompanied by the music.
British High Commissioner Menna Rawlings said:
Anyone who has ever attended a Proms concert in the UK will tell you that it is one of the most uplifting, powerful and joyful events in the British cultural calendar. Delivered by the BBC – Britain’s globally beloved cultural powerhouse – the Proms represent a wonderful expression of British artistry and culture – confident, expressive and with enormous power to stir emotions.
That’s why I’m delighted that Aussies will get the chance to experience that for themselves next month when the Proms visit Melbourne for its first-ever performances outside the UK.
BBC Proms Australia is just the latest of several acclaimed British cultural exports to visit Australia in 2016. These include The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s sell-out tour last month, which was also supported by Britain’s GREAT campaign; British production Golem at the Sydney Theatre Company; and the work of the acclaimed British artists in Sydney’s Biennale which opened last week.
Notes:
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The GREAT Britain campaign showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer. Find out more at www.greatbritaincampaign.com
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BBC Proms is the world’s largest classical music festival with over 300,000 people attending the annual live concert series across the UK and a further 16 million viewers in the UK watching across the BBC’s television platforms. The Proms broadcast on BBC Radio 3 reaches 2 million people per week and online broadcasts extend to a huge international audience.
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Britain is the second largest exporter of music in the world.
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The UK creative industries exported £17.9bn of services in 2013, the latest available year of data. Between 2009 and 2013, exports of UK creative services have increased by more than 34 per cent.
Media Contact:
Annie Galea
Head of Communications
British Consulate General Sydney
02 8247 2274