First Night of the Proms 2022: when does BBC show start and who is performing at the Royal Albert Hall?

The Royal Albert Hall will host the eight-week programme of classic music, beginning with a concert performance of Verdi’s Requiem
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The Proms is a two-month celebration of classical music featuring concerts and other events organised and broadcast by the BBC.

The first and last night of The Proms will be broadcast on BBC Two and music from the rest of the season will be available to listen to on BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Clive Myrie presents live coverage of First Night of the PromsClive Myrie presents live coverage of First Night of the Proms
Clive Myrie presents live coverage of First Night of the Proms

What is the Proms?

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The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, known as The Proms, is an annual eight-week season of orchestral classical music concerts organised by the BBC and performed at the Royal Albert Hall.

The event began in 1895 and remains a major event in the classical music calendar with hundreds of thousands of people attending the concerts live each year and many more watching on TV.

For the previous two years the performances were of a reduced size because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year the orchestras will be full sized once again.

Who is performing at The First Night of the Proms?

The Proms will begin with a 90-minute concert performance of the great classical music work, Verdi’s Requiem.

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Verdi’s Requiem was written by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1873 and first performed the following year. It was written to be performed by four soloists, a choir, and orchestra.

It was written by Verdi to honour the Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni following his death and is a musical setting of the text from a Catholic funeral mass.

Newsreader Clive Myrie will host the TV coverage of the concert. Myrie has worked for the BBC since the 1980s, and last year he became the presenter of Mastermind and its celebrity spin-off.

The Proms at The Royal Albert HallThe Proms at The Royal Albert Hall
The Proms at The Royal Albert Hall

Verdi’s Requiem will be performed by:

  • The BBC Symphony Orchestra - The orchestra was founded by the BBC in 1930 and is recognised for its pioneering musical output.
  • BBC Symphony Chorus - The Symphony Chorus is a dedicated amateur chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
  • Crouch End Festival Chorus - The north London based choir performs a range of styles including traditional choral , contemporary classical, rock and pop.
  • Sakari Oramo (composer) Finnish composer Oramo has been Chief Composer of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 2012.
  • David Junghoon Kim (tenor) Junghoon was brought in at the last minute to perform the tenor role after Freddie de Tommaso tested positive for Covid-19 and had to pull out of the performance.
  • Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha (Soprano) The South African Soprano is also a BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2021 finalist.
  • Jennifer Johnston (mezzo-soprano) Johnston is known as the Scouse Diva and is the winner of the 2021 Royal Philharmonic Society’s Singer of the Year Award.
  • Kihwan Sim (bass-baritone) The Korean performer made his European debut as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro in 2010 and has won several awards including first prize at the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition.

When is The First Night of the Proms on TV?

The First Night of the Proms kicks off at 7.15pm on BBC Two on Friday 15 July.

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The show will run until 9pm and be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after it is first broadcast.

When is The Last Night of the Proms?

The Last Night of the Proms will be broadcast live on Saturday 10 September.

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