BBC Proms Season 79, Episode 4: The Great American Songbook with Samara Joy

1

First Night of the Proms 2025

The 2025 First Night sees Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides’ Overture and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto featured alongside British classics from Bliss and Vaughan Williams, plus a world premiere from Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen

134 min

2

Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand

Nicholas McCarthy, the world’s only professional one-handed concert pianist, makes his Proms debut alongside the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in a concert of 20th-century classics.

110 min

3

Vivaldi and Bach at the Proms

Summer from The Four Seasons and Bach’s Air are among the highlights in a concert of Baroque delights featuring violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte making his Proms debut.

99 min

4

The Great American Songbook with Samara Joy

Grammy Award-winning sensation Samara Joy sings Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and Sun Ra’s timeless classics. Andi Oliver hosts this Proms debut from a rising star.

100 min

5

Bach and Mendelssohn at the Proms

The first televised Prom from The Glasshouse in Gateshead, featuring two classical masterpieces. David Fray plays Bach's dark and dramatic Keyboard Concerto in D Minor, and some 200 singers perform in Mendelssohn's rousing 'Lobgesang' Symphony with soloists Hera Hyesang Park, Adele Charvet & Benjamin Hulett. Conducted by Dinis Sousa with Royal Northern Sinfonia.

95 min

6

Beethoven’s Fifth at the Proms

The most iconic four notes in music history open Beethoven’s famous symphony, performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev. Saint-Saëns’ much loved Fifth Piano Concerto, known as ‘The Egyptian’, follows, with French pianist and star of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony Alexandre Kantorow as the soloist.

80 min

7

Dvorak's 'New World' Symphony at the Proms

A concert of musical postcards from the Americas featuring Dvorák’s masterful ‘New World’ Symphony. The Prom features two pieces from North America alongside a trumpet concerto full of the sounds of Latin America by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, where Venezuelan virtuoso Pacho Flores performs on four types of trumpet. The prom is presented by fellow trumpeter Alison Balsom.

105 min

8

Viennese Waltzes at the Proms

Step into a glittering world of waltzes, romance and high-kicking operetta as the BBC Concert Orchestra marks 200 years since the birth of Johann Strauss II. With favourites like the Blue Danube and the Laughing Song, plus gems from Lehár, Kalman and Korngold. Soprano Erin Morley joins conductor Anna-Maria Helsing for this joyful journey through Vienna’s golden age.

99 min

9

Anoushka Shankar at the Proms

Anita Rani introduces a concert that sees sitar superstar Anoushka Shankar join forces with conductor Robert Ames and London Contemporary Orchestra to perform a newly orchestrated version of her Chapters trilogy. Each Chapter of her three albums is inspired by one of the three countries she has called home, and the trilogy sonically carries the listener from afternoon, to night, to the dawn of a new day.

80 min

10

Aurora Orchestra Plays Shostakovich's Fifth

Explore this 20th-century masterpiece from the inside out as Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra return to the Proms with a signature memorised performance marking the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death. Actors join the orchestra in this immersive performance, bringing to life a symphony born in the shadows of Stalinist Russia, but which would emerge as a powerful statement of artistic defiance.

105 min

11

Beethoven's Ninth at the Proms

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – one of the most iconic and uplifting works in the classical canon – roars to life in the Royal Albert Hall. Presented by trumpet superstar Alison Balsom, this is a celebration of music at its most profound and exhilarating. Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Choir with a stellar quartet of soloists for an unforgettable performance.

90 min

12

Great British Classics at the Proms

A musical celebration of landscapes and seascapes from the Royal Albert Hall performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. From the soaring flight of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, Elgar’s beloved Enigma Variations featuring Nimrod, Britten’s stormy Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, and Walton’s Crown Imperial Coronation March, to lesser known gems from some of Britain’s most illustrious composers, this is musical Britain at its very best. Clive Myrie presents and is joined by special guests Alison Balson and Gyles Brandreth.

135 min

13

Mahler’s Fifth at the Proms

The electrifying combination of young superstar Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra brings Mahler’s epic and life-affirming symphony with its famous Adagietto to the Proms. It sits alongside Berio’s Rendering – an ingenius work inspired by Schubert. Presented by Alison Balsom.

119 min

14

Soul Revolution with Trevor Nelson

Featuring hits by Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and more. Trevor Nelson hosts at the BBC Proms, tracing the musical path of the United States’ civil rights movement from spirituals through gospel to soul. Sixteen voices, including Beverley Knight and Jacob Lusk, join conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the LJ Singers and the BBC Concert Orchestra to celebrate music that took risks, pleaded for freedom and soundtracked history.

89 min

15

Modern Classics at the Proms

Tom Service curates a musical snapshot in a special compilation of new music performed at the 2025 Proms. Featuring seven new pieces, including two world premieres, a dazzling trumpet concerto and cinematic soundscapes. Interviews with composers, including Errollyn Wallen, John Rutter and Anna Clyne, reveal the inspiration behind their pieces.

134 min

16

Classic Thriller Soundtracks at the Proms

A night of thrills and suspense awaits as Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite composer – Bernard Herrmann – is celebrated at the Royal Albert Hall. Highlights include the themes from Vertigo, Psycho and Taxi Driver, as well as Erich Korngold’s sumptuous cello concerto from superstar American Sterling Elliott. Charismatic conductor Edwin Outwater leads the BBC Concert Orchestra, while Edith Bowman presents.

109 min

17

The Planets and Star Wars at the Proms

A galaxy of sound from Britain’s brightest young musicians. The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and conductor Dalia Stasevska blast off on a celestial musical journey featuring Holst’s The Planets and John Williams’s Star Wars. Presented by actor, comedian and amateur violinist Nick Mohammed, who himself conducted in his university orchestra, this is a night of music that’s truly out of this world.

98 min

18

Celebrating Chineke! at the Proms

Clive Myrie presents from the Royal Albert Hall as Europe’s first majority black and ethnically diverse orchestra celebrates its 10th anniversary. For this landmark concert, Chineke! performs Shostakovich’s epic Tenth Symphony alongside classics from Coleridge-Taylor and Valerie Coleman.

109 min

19

Vienna Philharmonic plays Mozart and Tchaikovsky at the Proms

One of the world’s great orchestras make a much-anticipated return to the Royal Albert Hall, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst with two landmark symphonies that each broke the musical mould - Mozart’s ‘Prague’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’. Petroc Trelawny presents.

88 min

20

Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Proms

French baroque at its very best as Rameau’s Les Indes galantes suite is performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under the baton of their charismatic maestro Maxim Emelyanychev.

20 min

21

Last Night of the Proms

The world's biggest classical music party gets under way live at the Royal Albert Hall. Katie Derham presents alongside a host of special guests, with performances from conductor Elim Chan, soprano Louise Alder and star trumpeter Alison Balsom, who is playing for the final time after an illustrious career. Highlights include Dukas's mischievous Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Hummel's Trumpet Concerto and Mussorgsky’s exciting A Night on the Bare Mountain.

124 min

22

Last Night of the Proms: Finale

The 2025 Proms season is crowned with a brand new, specially commissioned, orchestral arrangement of Queen's masterpiece, Bohemian Rhapsody, celebrating the song's 50th anniversary in grand style with guest soloists and surprises. Also on the programme, superstar soprano Louise Alder enchants in a My Fair Lady medley, and iconic trumpeter Alison Balsom performs Bernstein. And of course, all the traditional favourites return to close the season, including Sea Songs, Rule, Britannia!, Elgar, Parry and Auld Lang Syne. Presented by Katie Derham, who is joined by special guests including Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed.

90 min

23

Unmissable Moments at the Proms 2025

A feast of show-stopping highlights from the biggest classical music festival in the world. From Mendelssohn to Mahler, Vaughan Williams to Vivaldi, Star Wars to Shostakovich - there's something for everyone in this musical mixtape of the season. Including performances from Anoushka Shankar, Pacho Flores, Liya Petrova, Nicholas McCarthy, Klaus Makela, Dalia Stasevska, Le Consort Ensemble and more!

120 min

24

St. Vincent at the Proms

The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer joins a full orchestra for this one-off gig at the Royal Albert Hall, with incredible new arrangements of some of her most-loved songs. St. Vincent is musician Annie Clark, whose artistry is in full hypnotic flow in this one-off spectacular. Conductor and arranger Jules Buckley brings the full might of his 60-strong orchestra to revel in other-wordly new arrangements of songs from seven St Vincent albums. Rachel Eckroth co-arranges and plays keyboards amongst the ensemble. A night of wonder and inimitable artistry which had the audience spellbound.

99 min

25

JADE at the Proms: A Homecoming

The former Little Mix singer has become a pop powerhouse in her own right, and she performs her first solo show in the north east of England at The Glasshouse in Gateshead, accompanied by a full orchestra. With reimagined tracks from her debut solo album, including Angel of My Dreams, It Girl, Midnight Cowboy and an exclusive cover of Sam Fender's Remember My Name. Arranged and conducted by Robert Ames with the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

58 min

26

The Traitors at the Proms

Claudia Winkleman hosts a spine-tingling concert full of dramatic tunes and asks a packed Royal Albert Hall audience to help find the hidden traitors. With surprise guests.

73 min