If you’re not a classical music fan, the BBC Proms is probably not the concert series for you. However, each year, the Proms honours genres outside of the classical orbit. Here are our top picks for fans of soul, jazz, and blues:
1. Northern Soul (tickets HERE)
Edwin Outwater and the BBC Concert Orchestra pay homage to the music that excited English towns in the Midlands and the North throughout the 1960s and ’70s. Curated by DJ Stuart Maconie, expect an evening of soulful b-sides and obscure cuts.
2. NYO Jazz with Dee Dee Bridgewater (tickets HERE)
Hear the music of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Herbie Nichols, and others in this concert fronted by the Grammy-winning songstress Dee Dee Bridgewater, backed by Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
3. Jules Buckley Orchestra (tickets HERE)
Conductor and arranger Jules Buckley is no stranger the BBC Proms, having done a sterling job spearheading tributes to Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, and performing with Moses Sumney. With special guests to be announced, Buckley and his orchestra will be returning to the Proms this year.
You can check out the rest of the BBC Proms programme HERE!