Photo credit: BBC
The 2013 BBC Proms festival was the winner of the Beyond Theatre Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards ceremony on November 16th.
The 119th Proms season of what is undoubtedly the greatest classical music festival in the world, was held at London’s Royal Albert Hall from July 12th to September 7th, 2013, with an impressive line-up of some of the greatest international artists, orchestras and ensembles, appearing over 92 concerts in the biggest ever broadcast Proms festival.
The award was presented to Roger Wright, Director of the BBC Proms, at a star-studded event at The Savoy Hotel by Sir David Attenborough, who described the Proms as “a pivotal part of British and global artistic life”, and a festival which had been “at the heart of London’s cultural calendar for over a century”.
The Beyond Theatre Award recognises British talent that has put theatre in a new environment or discipline, or has provided London with an experience in some way theatrical. Last year it was awarded to Danny Boyle and his team for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
On receiving the award, Roger Wright said “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the BBC Proms team for what was an amazing summer of firsts. From Daniel Barenboim conducting Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle to a collaboration with Radio 1 for the first ever Urban Classic Prom, the theatre of the Proms continues to break boundaries by reaching audiences across art forms and across the world. The BBC’s on-going commitment to the Proms is a testament to its support for arts and music.”
Guests at the ceremony were entertained with a film of highlights from this year’s Proms season, ranging from Matt Smith at the Doctor Who Prom, flamenco dancers, gospel choirs and leading international classical artists who included Joshua Bell and Mitsuko Uchida, to the world famous Last Night of the Proms, starring soprano Joyce DiDonato, Nigel Kennedy and Marin Alsop, the first woman to conduct the Last Night concert.
Photo credit: Chris Christodoulou
A short film of highlights from the 2013 Proms can be seen on this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01gfvg9
The 2014 BBC Proms run from Friday 18 July to Saturday 13 September.
Preview article on the 2013 Proms season