91Èȱ¬

The 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra gives a full-blown classical music concert at London's largest shopping centre on 9 July 2010, as the 91Èȱ¬ Proms – the world's largest music festival – goes Out+About.

The new face of the Proms on TV, Katie Derham, presents an hour-and-a-half of free world-class orchestral music as a pre-season treat for Londoners, families and new ears just one week before the Proms opens.

Out+About is a Prom with a difference and provides a family-friendly preview of some of the music to come in the festival, which runs from 16 July to 11 September at the Royal Albert Hall.

Stadium classics Nessun dorma and You'll Never Walk Alone give a taste of both the feast of opera and the Rodgers and Hammerstein celebrations descending on the Proms this summer. Continuing the opera theme, there is also Bizet's Overture to Carmen and the Bridal March from Wagner's Lohengrin.

Crowds at Westfield are invited to join in and sing along with two of Britain's leading voices, soprano Elizabeth Watts and tenor John Hudson, a long-standing principal for the English and Welsh National Operas. There is a nod to the World Cup, too, with Walton's Johannesburg Festival Overture.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra intensifies its on-going learning work in Hammersmith and Fulham, with schools and pupils from the area being given the rare opportunity to perform alongside members of the world-class 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra through two ambitious outreach projects.

Seventy-five primary school children will perform a new work inspired by Mark-Anthony Turnage's Momentum, specially created by Rachel Leach, who has worked within the education departments of many orchestras and opera companies. For more advanced young local musicians – grade VII or above – there is also the opportunity to play side by side with the professionals of the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra.

Out+About, now in its eighth year, strives to bring the essence of the Proms directly to people who might not otherwise experience it, while providing opportunities for families to get involved. The Proms Learning initiatives continue throughout the season, giving everyone a chance to be part of this internationally renowned classical music festival.

Participants, audiences, shoppers and passers-by will be introduced to the wealth of family-friendly events through this initial taster of what the season has to offer.

Highlights of the 2010 Proms include a free recreation of the Last Night of the Proms from 1910, the Children's Prom on August Bank Holiday Monday, the return of the Doctor Who Prom in July and the many opportunities to take part in the Proms Family Orchestra and Chorus events at the Royal College of Music, which run throughout the festival.

The Proms provides an exciting and affordable experience for all the family and tickets for under-16s remain at half price for all Proms (excluding the Last Night concert).

Notes to Editors

Proms Out+About programme
Westfield London, 9 July 2010
6.30-8.00pm

Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine (4)
Wagner: Lohengrin – Prelude, Act 3, (3)
Revueltas: Sensemaya (7)
Puccini: O mio babbine caro (Gianni Schicchi), (3)
Verdi: La donna è mobile (Rigoletto), (3)
Bizet: Carmen Overture (3)
Learning Project (5)
Soprano aria: to be announced (3)
Turnage: Momentum (9)
Puccini: Nessun Dorma (Turandot), (3)
Puccini: O soave fanciulla (La Bohème), (4)
Walton: Johannesburg Festival Overture (8)
Elgar: Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1 (6), (Side by side)

Encore:
Rodgers & Hammerstein: You'll never walk alone (Carousel), (2-3)
Conductor: Alexander Rumpf
Soloists: Elizabeth Watts (soprano) and John Hudson (tenor)

The Proms is the world's largest classical music festival, with more than 90 concerts – featuring many of the world's greatest artists and orchestras – as well as a host of extra events including talks, workshops, free performances and family events.

The Proms runs from Friday 16 July to Saturday 11 September 2010, and full information on the season is available at bbc.co.uk/proms.

The Proms presents a wide range of music and artists and is renowned for its low ticket prices. Highlights this year include a huge opening weekend with Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg with Bryn Terfel and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra with Plácido Domingo.

There are two starry Broadway Proms dedicated to the music of Stephen Sondheim and Rodgers & Hammerstein and the hugely successful Doctor Who Prom returns.

Featured artists include Paul Lewis – who plays all of Beethoven's piano concertos – Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Valery Gergiev, Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Simon Rattle.
Maria João Pires returns to the Proms after more than 10 years for an all-Chopin concert, while virtuoso violinist Nicola Benedetti, and jazz star Jamie Cullum make their Proms debuts.

The season culminates with the famous Last Night of the Proms, with 91Èȱ¬ Proms in the Park and Big Screen events across the UK.

The Proms are broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3 and many are broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ television (91Èȱ¬ Two and 91Èȱ¬ Four primarily, but also 91Èȱ¬ Three and 91Èȱ¬ HD), and all broadcasts are available via the 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer for seven days.

Full details are now on the Proms website: bbc.co.uk/proms.

Booking is now open: online at bbc.co.uk/proms, by telephone 0845 401 5040, or in person at the Royal Albert Hall.

MC4