成人论坛

We have a big focus on women composers, and on living women composers particularly this year, but what we’d forgotten was that within our own midst the 成人论坛 Radiophonic Workshop had these extraordinary people who were pioneers, in and .

I think it’s rather nice that on 23 July the Pioneers Of Sound Prom celebrates these extraordinary composers who have such a strong connection with the 成人论坛. They were so far ahead of their time that I’m not sure even the 成人论坛 quite knew what they were up to, as there was a certain air of suspicion back then. But that whole workshop was something the corporation can be incredibly proud of - the Doctor Who music is all from that origin.

We did a very successful Relaxed Prom last year, with open access to people of all ages who might have learning disabilities or sensory or visual impairments.

Our learning department worked with the Royal Albert Hall to think about everything, such as lighting levels, the way we sign the performance for people with hearing impairments, or presenting the programme on screen with figures and signs. What was most gratifying was that the people who came really appreciated it. There are sections of the population who find it very hard to go to concerts, and we wanted to make them feel completely comfortable at this one, thinking carefully about the timing of pieces, concert length, and the time of day.

We wanted to take that a step further this year, with musicians on stage who have disabilities showing the extraordinary work that they do, and we’re pleased to be doing another Relaxed Prom in 2018 with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Resound.

They only recently formed as the first disabled-led ensemble to exist anywhere in the world and they’re appearing at the Proms, which is very exciting.

What’s great about a concert like this is that absolutely everybody can come to it: babes in arms, people in their eighties, or people with dementia who want to come with their carers, it’s a very informal atmosphere where anything goes, you don’t need to keep quiet, and if you need to walk out in the middle you can do that - we have chill-out zones that people can go to when they might need to leave the auditorium.

In 2016, my first season, we started experimenting with venues beyond the Royal Albert Hall. We went to a car park in Peckham, and to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe Theatre. Last year, because we were doing Handel’s Water Music the easy thing would be to put it on the River Thames, but I decided that the more interesting and challenging thing would be to stage it on another bit of water, in Hull, which was City of Culture last year.

So, in addition to the Proms In The Park in , and having taken one Prom outside London last year, we’re doing it again. The reason we’ve chosen Lincoln is because The Soldier’s Tale has a specific link to the First World War, one of our big themes this summer, and as the Drill Hall was opened in 1890 for the 1st Lincolnshire Volunteer Battalion it seemed a perfect location.

Other things I’m really excited about are our late night Prom with the Aurora Orchestra, taking apart Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony for a general audience, and The Sound Of An Orchestra, which leaps off from the starting point of what Leonard Bernstein did with his young people’s concerts and television concerts. It unpicks what an orchestra is, how it works, and how composers put instruments together.

I hope it’ll be the sort of thing that if you know a lot about classical music you’ll find stimulating, and if you know nothing about classical music it’s the perfect starting point for you.

The 2018 成人论坛 Proms season begins on Friday 13 July and continues until 8 September.