Alan Menken, James Bond and American Classics Included in BBC Proms 2026 Line-Up

The BBC Proms returns in summer 2026, presenting eight weeks of world-class music from an array of leading orchestras, conductors and soloists from across the UK and around the world.

The 2026 BBC Proms season features:

• 86 Proms across eight weeks
• 20 international ensembles
• 41 orchestras and choirs from across the UK
• 42 Proms appearances from the BBC’s own orchestras and choirs
• 20 premieres, including 17 BBC commissions and co-commissions
• 14 Proms across the UK, including residencies at Bristol Beacon and the Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Gateshead), and the first ever Prom in Mold, North Wales
• All Proms broadcast on Radio 3 and BBC Sounds
• 24 Proms programmes on BBC television and iPlayer
• 1,000 £8 standing Promming tickets available for every Prom at the Royal Albert Hall
• Seated tickets start from £12.20 (including all fees)

International Ensembles

The 2026 BBC Proms presents a distinguished international line-up, welcoming 20 leading orchestras and ensembles from across the globe. Altın Gün, Berlin Philharmonic, Choeur de Radio France, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Jupiter Ensemble, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Les Siècles, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mahler Academy Orchestra, Maîtrise de Radio 2 France, Marcus Roberts Trio, Munich Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Spanish National Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Chorus and The Met Orchestra.

Major orchestras include:

Spanish National Orchestra Conductor: David Afkham Date: 19 July

The Spanish National Orchestra makes its Proms debut with a programme featuring Ravel’s Boléro and Alborada del gracioso, Falla’s The Three‑Cornered Hat Suites Nos. 1 and 2, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Rafael Aguirre, and Falla’s Fantasía baetica, orchestrated by Francisco Coll.

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Conductor: Omer Meir Wellber Date: 31 July

Haydn’s Symphony No. 44, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 performed by soloist Daniel Lozakovich and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4.

Juilliard Orchestra & Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Esa‑Pekka Salonen

Date: 10 August The Juilliard Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra join forces for Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, and Berg’s Violin Concerto with Vilde Frang.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel Dates: 11 & 12 August

The Los Angeles Philharmonic returns to the Proms for the first time since 2002.

• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 and Thomas Adès’s Inferno – Dante, Part 1 (11 August)
• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and the UK premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s Revolución Diamantina, featuring the Los Angeles Master Chorale (12 August)

Swedish Chamber Orchestra Conductor & clarinet: Martin Fröst Date: 16 August (matinee)

World premiere of Jacob Mühlrad’s Helix, the UK premiere of Hans Ek’s DNA Suite – orchestrations of Rameau, J. S. Bach and Handel. Göran and Martin Fröst’s Nomadic Dances and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

The Met Orchestra

Conductor: Yannick Nézet‑Séguin

Date: 26 & 27 August The Met Orchestra brings two contrasting programmes to the Royal Albert Hall for its Proms debut. 

• Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben and soprano Elza van den Heever performs Der Rosenkavalier Suite and the final scene from Salome (26 August)
• Saariaho’s Lumière et pesanteur, Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (27 August)

Oslo Philharmonic

Conductor: Mirga Gražinytė‑Tyla Date: 29 August

Øyvind Torvund’s Symphonic Poem No. 1: Forest Morning, Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite.

Les Siècles

Conductor: Jakob Lehmann Date: 30 August Jakob Lehmann makes his Proms debut with Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust, featuring the Coeur de Radio France and La Maîtrise de Radio France and an international cast comprising John Osborn (Faust), Véronique Gens (Marguerite), Gerald Finley (Méphistophélès) and Thomas Dolié (Brander).

Berlin Philharmonic

Conductor: Kirill Petrenko Date: 2 & 3 September

• Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (2 September)
• Beethoven’s Violin Concerto performed by Augustin Hadelich and Scriabin’s Symphony No. 3 (3 September)

Munich Philharmonic Conductor: Lahav Shani Date: 5 September

Farrenc’s Overture No. 2, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Martha Argerich and Brahms’s Symphony No. 4. Freiburg Baroque Orchestra Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle

Date: 7 September

Schumann’s Genoveva Overture, Violin Concerto with Isabelle Faust and Symphony No. 2.

Mahler Academy Orchestra

Conductor: Philipp von Steinaecker Date: 11 September

The Mahler Academy Orchestra makes its UK and BBC Proms debut with Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 performed on period instruments.

41 Orchestras and Choirs from across the UK

Homegrown creativity is at the centre of the BBC Proms. From major symphony orchestras to period-instrument groups, youth ensembles and choirs, the Proms welcomes 41 UK-based orchestras and choirs to the Royal Albert Hall and venues across the UK.

42 appearances from the BBC’s own Orchestras and Choirs

The BBC’s own orchestras and choirs – the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales and BBC Singers – are at the heart of the season.

Soloists and Conductors 

Soloists include:

• Louise Alder (soprano)
• Martha Argerich (piano)
• Angel Blue (soprano)
• Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano)
• Vilde Frang (violin)
• Kirill Gerstein (piano)
• Evelyn Glennie (percussion)
• Augustin Hadelich (violin)
• Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello)
• Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
• Felix Klieser (French horn)
• Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin)
• Yunchan Lim (piano)
• Natalya Romaniw (soprano)
• Abel Selaocoe (cello)
• Nicky Spence (tenor)
• Yuja Wang (piano)

Conductors include:

• Marin Alsop
• Ryan Bancroft
• Jules Buckley
• Gustavo Dudamel
• Sir Mark Elder
• Edward Gardner
• Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
• Jakub Hrůša
• Yannick Nézet-Séguin
• Sakari Oramo
• Sir Antonio Pappano
• Kirill Petrenko
• Vasily Petrenko
• Sir Simon Rattle
• Esa-Pekka Salonen
• Dalia Stasevska
• John Storgårds
• Ryan Wigglesworth
• John Wilson

Operas and Large-scale Choral Proms

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 – Soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Wake-Edwards, tenor Martin Muehle and bass Derek Welton join the Philharmonia Chorus and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda (20 July)
• Weber: Oberon – Sir Mark Elder conducts the Monteverdi Choir and a cast including Nicky Spence as King Oberon and Jennifer Davis as Reiza in a semi-staged performance of Weber’s final opera, presented in its 200th-anniversary year (6 August)
• Rossini: Stabat mater – Soprano Federica Lombardi, mezzo-soprano Chiara Amarù, tenor René Barbera and bass Nicola Ulivieri perform with the Epiphoni Consort, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nil Venditti (7 August)

• Haydn: Mass in D minor, ‘Nelson Mass’ – The Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment perform with soprano Erin Morley, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, tenor Guy Cutting and bass William Thomas, conducted by Peter Whelan (9 August)

• Berlioz: Requiem (Grande Messe des morts) – Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and tenor Julien Henric (15 August)

• Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos – Fresh from the Glyndebourne Festival, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos receives its first complete Proms performance in almost 50 years. Robin Ticciati conducts a cast including Rachel Willis-Sørensen, David Butt Philip, Alina Wunderlin, Mikhail Timoshenko and Caspar Singh (19 August)

• Strauss programme – The Met Orchestra makes its Proms debut with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, joined by soprano Elza van den Heever for a programme featuring Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Ein Heldenleben and the final scene from Salome (26 August)

• Berlioz: La damnation de Faust – Jakob Lehmann and Les Siècles bring a concert performance with John Osborn, Gerald Finley and Véronique Gens, joined by the Coeur de Radio France and La Maîtrise de Radio France (30 August)

• Bach: Mass in B minor – Sopranos Jeanine De Bique and Eva Zaïcik, counter‑tenor Hugh Cutting, tenor Nick Pritchard and bass‑baritone Florian Störtz join Arcangelo and Music Director Jonathan Cohen (10 September)

20 Premieres including 17 BBC Commissions

The BBC continues to be the UK’s largest commissioner of new music. This year the festival will feature 12 world, one European and seven UK premieres, including 17 works commissioned or co-commissioned by the BBC.

12 World Premieres

• Josephine Stephenson: new work, BBC commission, c. 8’ (17 July, First Night of the Proms)
• Brett Dean: The World’s Wife, BBC co-commission, c. 20’ (29 July)
• Dani Howard: Concerto for Brass Section, ‘SIGNAL’, BBC co-commission, c. 18’ (2 August)
• Héloïse Werner: The Wood Pigeon, BBC commission, c. 5’ (11 August, Late Night)
• Jacob Mühlrad: Helix, BBC co-commission, c. 5’ (16 August)
• Edmund Thornton Jenkins, reconstructed & arranged by Tuffus Zimbabwe: Dance Suite, c. 15’ (22 August)
• Thea Musgrave: Out of the Darkness – Bassoon Concerto, BBC commission, c. 12’ (23 August)
• Carmel Smickersgill: A Brick Thrown with Love, BBC co-commission, c. 10’ (4 September)
• Gwilym Simcock: Triple Concerto for Soprano Saxophone, Horn and Cello, BBC co-commission, c. 20’ (6 September)
• Details will be shared closer to the time for three BBC commissioned world premieres: one in Mold at two at the Last Night of the Proms

One European premiere

• Gabriel Kahane: Clarinet Concerto, ‘If love will not swing wide the gates’, performed by Anthony McGill, BBC co-commission, c. 22’ (17 August)

Seven UK Premieres

• Jessie Montgomery: These Righteous Paths – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, BBC co-commission, c. 20’ (20 July)
• Betsy Jolas: Tales of a Summer Sea, c. 15’ (21 July)
• Mark-Anthony Turnage: Festen Suite, BBC co-commission, c. 21’ (28 July)
• Gabriela Ortiz: Revolución diamantina, c. 42’ (12 August)
• Wynton Marsalis: Concerto for Orchestra, BBC co-commission, c. 36’ (13 August)
• Édith Canat de Chizy: Skyline (Concerto for three percussionists, timpani and orchestra), BBC co-commission, c. 20’ (18 August)
• Kristine Tjøgersen: Between Trees, c. 15’ (27 July)

Genre-Crossing Proms – Jazz, Film, and Family

• Prog Rock: A Fanfare for the Common Man – Robert Ames conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in symphonic tributes to ELP, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, Renaissance and more. Presented by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Stuart Maconie (18 July)
• Horrible Science: The Big Bang Proms Experiment – After the success of the 2023 Horrible Histories Prom, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Karen Ní Bhroin join the Horrible Science team for a science-packed orchestral adventure featuring scientists Einstein and Curie, and the orchestral sounds of Holst and John Williams. Horrible Science from BBC Children’s and Education is the latest creation from the brand behind Horrible Histories (25 July, matinee and evening)
• Under African Skies: The Songs of Graceland – A Prom marking the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s the landmark album, featuring five‑time Grammy Award‑winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra under director Peter Edwards (5 August, Late Night)
• Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul – Edwin Outwater conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in a celebration of Gaye’s legacy (14 August)
• Miles Davis Centenary – American jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire joins the BBC Concert Orchestra and Miho Hazama for a tribute marking 100 years since Davis’s birth (20 August, and broadcast on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer)
• Bond and Beyond – Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in iconic music from the James Bond films, with special guests to be announced (25 August, and broadcast on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer)
• Ultimate Calm – Radio 3’s Ultimate Calm makes its Proms debut in a Late Night Prom curated by Erland Cooper, blending classical, ambient and electronic sound worlds (27 August, Late Night)
• Altın Gün – Jules Buckley and the BBC Symphony Orchestra collaborate with the Grammy Award-nominated Turkish psych-folk band for their Proms debut, with special guest German-Turkish singer Derya Yıldırım (28 August)
• Enchanted: Alan Menken’s Music for Disney – The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra performs a celebration of the American composer and EGOT winner’s beloved scores, with special guests as well as performances from the National Youth Music Theatre. Conductor to be announced (31 August)
• Relaxed Prom at the Royal Albert Hall – BBC Singers, Fantasia Orchestra and conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh present a transatlantic-themed Relaxed Prom to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence (9 August, matinee)
• Relaxed Prom at Bristol Beacon – The National Open Youth Orchestra – the world’s first disabled-led national youth ensemble – and members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales perform a Prom in a Relaxed setting designed designed to be particularly welcoming to children and those with additional needs. The concert features Michael Betteridge’s concerto for Clarion, an app than transforms a tablet computer into a musical instrument, performed by Alessandro Vazzana, as well as Charlotte Harding’s The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide (9 August, Bristol Beacon, matinee)
• BBC Young Composer – The BBC Concert Orchestra under Tess Jackson performs new works by the six winners of the 2025 BBC Young Composer competition. BBC Young Composer aims to nurture and develop the next generation of young composers, creating opportunities and resources for 12- to 18-year-olds across the UK who make their own original music. It holds a nationwide competition every two years (30 August, matinee)

Composer Anniversaries and Focuses

The 2026 BBC Proms season shines a spotlight on major composer anniversaries, celebrating the legacies of those who have shaped musical history. Benjamin Britten

The BBC Proms marks 50 years since the death of Benjamin Britten. The anniversary is honoured through a series of landmark performances showcasing the breadth and enduring influence of one of Britain’s most significant composers.

• Guy Johnston performs the Cello Symphony with Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (28 July)
• Simple Symphony with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and director Benjamin Marquise Gilmore (23 August)
• Violin Concerto with Simone Lamsma, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Manze (4 September)
• John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London perform two of Britten’s early works, Les illuminations and Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (6 September, matinee)
• Britten's iconic showpiece, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, is performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo (6 September)

Steve Reich

American composer and pioneer of Minimalism Steve Reich turns 90 this year, and to mark the occasion, the BBC Proms presents concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and at Bristol Beacon.

• Steve Reich at 90, Music for 18 Musicians – When it was first performed 50 years ago, this work made Reich a household name and propelled Minimalism into the mainstream. Paraorchestra, the bold collective of disabled and non-disabled musicians, presents an immersive take on Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. In this performance, musicians will be placed on plinths throughout Beacon Hall to dissolve the boundary between audience and ensemble (7 August, Bristol Beacon)
• Steve Reich at 90, Late Night Prom – The Gesualdo Six offers Renaissance choral meditations by Hildegard of Bingen, Machaut, Josquin and Pérotin, conducted by Owain Park, and Colin Currie conducts his eponymous Group in Reich’s ecstatic and moving Tehillim (2 September, Late Night)

Centenary Celebrations

The BBC Proms marks 100 years since the birth of composers John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Morton Feldman, Betsy Jolas, György Kurtag, Hans Werner Henze and 100 years since the death of Edmund Thornton Jenkins. Their anniversaries are honoured throughout the season.

• Betsy Jolas – The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor John Storgårds celebrate the 100th anniversary of composer Betsy Jolas with the UK premiere of her 1977 orchestral piece Tales of a Summer Sea (21 July)
• György Kurtág – The BBC Proms marks the 100th anniversary of György Kurtág with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sakari Oramo giving a rare performance of his orchestral elegy Stele (22 July), and Oramo appears again – this time as violinist – alongside soprano Anu Komsi, to perform Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments (9 August, Bristol Beacon)
• Morton Feldman – The Royal Northern Sinfonia’s Music Director Dinis Sousa is joined by principal musicians Jude Carlton and Helena Gourd for Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry, scored for flutes, percussion and piano/celesta (24 July, Gateshead)
• John Coltrane – A special edition of Radio 3’s ’Round Midnight features a tribute to John Coltrane’s 1965 album A Love Supreme (8 August, Bristol Beacon)
• Miles Davis – The BBC Concert Orchestra celebrates the legendary trumpeter, bandleader and composer with a special Prom featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, conducted by Miho Hazama (20 August)
• Edmund Thornton Jenkins – The Chineke! Orchestra and conductor Jonathon Heyward give the world premiere of a new suite reconstructed by Tuffus Zimbabwe, drawn from music for Jenkins’s unfinished ballet (22 August)
• Hans Werner Henze – The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Paweł Kapuła perform Henze’s Erlkönig (9 September)

Proms Across the UK

Gateshead (23 – 25 July, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) The fourth Proms residency at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music includes:

• BBC Introducing from The Glasshouse: Live at the Proms – Emerging and independent artists from the North-East and beyond, presented by Shakk (23 July, Sage Two)
• Crippled Symmetry – Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry, with Royal Northern Sinfonia’s Music Director Dinis Sousa on piano/celesta, joined by flautist Helena Gourd and percussionist Jude Carlton (24 July, Sage Two)
• Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia – South Tyneside-born indie-rock singer-songwriter Nadine Shah collaborates with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (24 July, Concourse)
• Choirs on the Concourse – The BBC Singers, Voices of the River’s Edge and the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, with soloist Jess Gillam, perform Tavener’s Song for Athene and selections from Parry’s Songs of Farewell (25 July)

Middlesbrough (23 July, Middlesbrough Town Hall)

The Unthanks join Royal Northern Sinfonia and conductor Ellie Slorach for a concert of songs shaped by the North – reimagined with bold, cinematic arrangements. With special guests to be announced.

Sunderland (25 July, The Fire Station)

Violinist Maria Włoszczowska directs the Royal Northern Sinfonia in Bacewicz’s Divertimento, Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings featuring pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39.

Bristol (7 – 9 August, Bristol Beacon)

The Proms returns to Bristol Beacon for a third consecutive year with six performances.

• Steve Reich at 90 – with Paraorchestra and director Charles Hazlewood (7 August, Beacon Hall)
• Russian Classics – The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in an evening with conductor Adam Hickox and cellist Maximilian Hornung (8 August, Beacon Hall)
• ’Round Midnight – A live edition of Radio 3’s acclaimed late‑night jazz show features John Coltrane’s music (8 August, Lantern Hall)
• Relaxed Prom – A Relaxed Prom with the National Open Youth Orchestra and players from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (9 August)

• Path of Miracles – Nigel Short’s Tenebrae performing Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles (9 August, St George’s Bristol)

• Kafka Fragments – Sakari Oramo (violin) and soprano Anu Komsi perform Kurtag’s Kafka Fragments as part of the composer’s 100th anniversary celebrations (9 August, Lantern Hall, matinee)

Mold (29 August, Theatre Clwyd)

Words and Music – Sinfonia Cymru and conductor Iwan Davies present an afternoon of words and music, inspired by The Mabinogion – a collection of early Welsh prose stories compiled from oral traditions in the 12th and13th centuries, offering myths, folklore, and Arthurian legends.

BBC Young Composer Workshops

Free BBC Young Composer workshops take place in Bristol, Middlesbrough and Mold, designed for 12–18-year-olds of all musical abilities, interested in any style or genre. The workshops offer the opportunity to create, collaborate and hone music making skills with support from experienced composers and musicians.

Ticketing and Access

Promming Tickets 13

• Promming Tickets remain at £8 (including all fees) and over 70,000 are available across the season at the Royal Albert Hall
• For each concert at the Royal Albert Hall there are around 1,000 standing places in the Arena and Gallery. For most concerts you can book up to two tickets online from 9.30am on the day of the concert. A limited number of seats either at the back of the Arena or in the Choir or Gallery are available for those Prommers who are unable to stand for an entire concert. These seats can be booked online at royalalberthall.com
• £8 ‘Promming' tickets are available for Proms Across the UK (check local venue for details)

BBC Proms will run at the Royal Albert Hall and venues across the UK from Friday 17 July – Saturday 12 September 2026

• General booking for all BBC Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall opens from 9am on Saturday 16 May
• Tickets for events Across the UK open from 10am on on Tuesday 21 April
• Tickets for Horrible Science and Relaxed Proms open from 9am on Friday 15 May
• Seated tickets start at from £12.20 (including all fees)

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