Preparing for the world’s biggest classical music festival is a complex but hugely enjoyable jigsaw puzzle. Every year, we look to marry the best of British with the finest international talent, and to explore how the BBC Proms can tell stories about music and culture– both contemporary and historical. It also takes time.
We could so easily have decided to retreat from our plans to reflect US culture; indeed, when BBC Radio 3 undertook an American Roadtrip in January, broadcasting from cities such as Boston, Los Angeles and New York, some listeners understandably questioned why we were doing so: this was around the time that President Trump was discussing acquiring Greenland and claiming that the UK takes 92 per cent of North Sea oil revenue – a statement since proven to be factually incorrect.
What was so interesting about those broadcasts was the degree to which our listeners discussed with great fervour and passion the relevance and importance of us marking this anniversary. On balance, the positive voices far outweighed the critical: and so our audience would arguably see it as a failure on our part to row back from showcasing outstanding American music, in this most important of years. It is for this reason that we’ve taken a similar approach with the 2026 Proms.
During the summer, we’ll hear the UK premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s new cello concerto – a co-commission between the BBC and Lincoln Center in New York; George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, as part of the First Night of the Proms; and the world premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Concerto for Orchestra. We also welcome two of America’s finest orchestras: the LA Phil, returning for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, and the Proms debut of New York’s Met Orchestra. Beyond classical music, the centenary of the great Miles Davis is marked in a special Prom featuring the American trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, we showcase the Oscar-winning Alan Menken with a Prom for all the family, and the American soprano Angel Blue joins the Chineke! Orchestra.
The BBC Proms 2026 runs from Friday 17 July to Saturday 12 September. Book tickets via bbc.co.uk/promstickets or royalalberthall.com
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