Entertainment

Last Night Of The Proms cancelled by BBC out of respect for the Queen

The conclusion of the eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts was due to conclude on Saturday September 10.
The conclusion of the eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts was due to conclude on Saturday September 10. The conclusion of the eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts was due to conclude on Saturday September 10.

The BBC has announced that the Last Night Of The Proms has been cancelled as a mark of respect, following the death of the Queen.

The conclusion of the eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts, which takes place predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London, was due to conclude on Saturday September 10.

The star-studded line-up included Dame Harriet Walter, as well as star soprano Lise Davidsen and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and was to be led by BBC Symphony Orchestra principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska.

But following the historic news on Thursday the organisation announced that the final two nights of concerts on Friday and Saturday would no longer go ahead.

“Following the very sad news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, as a mark of respect we will not be going ahead with Prom 71 on Friday September 9, or the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday September 10,” it tweeted.

The monarch, who was a Patron of the Royal Albert Hall, last visited The Proms in 2006 for a special concert to celebrate her 80th birthday.

The event, held on July 19, attracted a capacity crowd of almost 6000 people.

This year had seen The Proms return to its full season, beginning on July 15, with 84 concerts starring more than 3,000 musicians.

Queen at Proms Concert
Queen at Proms Concert The monarch, who was a Patron of the Royal Albert Hall, last visited The Proms in 2006 for a special concert to celebrate her 80th birthday (Fiona Hanson/PA)

Previous performances had included international orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker led by Kirill Petrenko, the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Australian World Orchestra led by Zubin Mehta.

It also featured a large-scale repertoire, not heard at the festival since 2019, from Verdi’s Requiem to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, performed by the Chineke! Orchestra, and Voices under Kevin John Edusei.

Mastermind host and BBC News correspondent Clive Myrie presented the First Night Of The Proms, while TV naturalist Chris Packham hosted the debut of Earth Prom.

The BBC Proms also featured the newly formed Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra – led by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson – which included musicians who are now refugees and Ukrainian members of European orchestras.