Emma Bartholomew spends time with some of the leading lights behind this year’s edition of the Proms to find a classical music community teaming with optimism and invention.
There is tangible positivity in the atmosphere surrounding this summer’s Proms, set against a backdrop of widespread optimism about the general health of classical music. Recent figures released by the Association of British Orchestras show an increase from four to five million in live classical audiences from 2010 to 2016. And the health of the genre among radio listeners is also vibrant. A recent Classic FM study recorded an encouraging 43 percent rise in its under-25-year-old audience – a welcome renaissance for a genre well into its dotage.
