Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is heading to the BBC Proms

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Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is heading to the BBC Proms

Tuesday 21 April 2026

After a sold-out performance last year, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will be once again taking to the iconic stage on Friday 4 September.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by its Principal Guest Conductor, Andrew Manze, in a celebration of English music. The programme includes a world premiere from North West composer Carmel Smickersgill, Britten’s Violin Concerto with Simone Lamsma, and works by Vaughan Williams.

Described by The Telegraph as “the greatest living interpreter of Vaughan Williams’ music”, Andrew Manze conducts two works by the composer. The starkly beautiful landscape of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex haunts the score of Symphony No. 9—pastoral yearning tinged with darker wartime memories and fears—in contrast to the radiant spiritual affirmation of Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, with its shimmering clouds of strings.

Carmel Smickersgill is an exciting voice in contemporary music. In 2022, she won Liverpool Philharmonic’s Rushworth Composition Prize, which provides an exceptional range of opportunities for early-career composers. The prize forms part of Liverpool Philharmonic’s long-standing commitment to presenting and commissioning new music. A Brick Thrown with Love will be the fourth of Smickersgill’s works to be premiered by the Orchestra, and explores resilience in the face of tragedy.

Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, praised for her eloquence, has performed regularly with the Orchestra in Liverpool and now makes her Proms debut in Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto—a work steeped in reflections on war and hopes for peace. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Britten’s death, and this performance is part a series showcasing the breadth and enduring influence of one of Britain’s most significant composers.

Further information about the performance is available here; it will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds.

Further details about BBC Proms 2026 can be found here.

The award-winning Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is the UK’s oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra. Its concert series dates back to 1840, when the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic was founded by a group of Liverpool music lovers. The Orchestra lies at the heart of Liverpool Philharmonic, one of the country’s leading music organisations, with a mission to create powerful musical experiences that bring people together. It is the largest music organisation in the city, collaborating with the next generation of artists and audiences to help shape the future of Liverpool and beyond.