Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra
Bantam of the Opera Choir
Bradford Festival Choral Society
Ben Crick, Conductor
https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/yorkshire-proms
A major classical music concert is set to launch this summer, promising to become a new annual tradition, featuring cinematic scores, a James Bond homage, Yorkshire songs, and a traditional, flag-waving Proms finale, plus a rare live performance of Delius’s ‘North Country Sketches’.
The inaugural Yorkshire Proms will take place at Bradford’s St George’s Hall on Yorkshire Day, Saturday, August 1, and will feature the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, Bradford Festival Choral Society, and the Bantam of the Opera Choir.
The event promises an evening of music, storytelling, and audience participation, celebrating Yorkshire’s heritage and contemporary identity through a northern take on the Last Night of the Proms.
Ben Crick, conductor of the Yorkshire Proms, said: “We are celebrating Yorkshire’s voice, talent, and identity – past, present, and future.
“Our first ever Yorkshire Proms is a direct, undeniable proof that our region possesses world-class talent capable of standing on any international stage.”
The concert will include cinematic scores, rediscovered historical works, and Proms favourites, culminating in a massed folk finale designed to fill the auditorium with the sound of Yorkshire voices.
The concert opens with a short overture by Jarrod Royles-Atkins, a composer born in Huddersfield who has since established a significant career in Los Angeles, working in film and video game music.
This is followed by The Open Road by Ernest Farrar. Although born in London in 1885, Farrar moved to Yorkshire at just eighteen months old and spent the remainder of his short life closely connected with the county.
Like Delius, Farrar was a composer who became a native of Yorkshire due to the professional commitments and ambitions of a parent. In addition, this performance will mark the first live performance of The Open Road for over 100 years.
This will be followed by Finzi’s A Severn Rhapsody; Finzi was a pupil of Farrar whilst both men lived in Harrogate and Farrar’s death on the Western Front greatly distressed Finzi.
The association between Finzi and Farrar and the implicit World War One connections here seem to make these ideal partner works.
The centrepiece of the first half is to be Delius’ North Country Sketches. This performance will be accompanied by a newly created film featuring Yorkshire landscapes and views, carefully curated to complement the music and edited live to reflect the nuances of the performance.
The Yorkshire Prom is to become an annual celebration of the culture, art, and heritage of Yorkshire. Based in Bradford, it places the music of Frederick Delius, the city’s most distinguished musical son, at the heart of its artistic vision.