The orchestra will feature in two proms events this August at the Royal Albert Hall.
It has been announced that Fantasia Orchestra, an ensemble of some of the UK’s finest young musicians – will make their BBC Proms debut this year, with two proms at the Royal Albert Hall in August, with an exciting and eclectic repertoire of folk songs, dances, prayers and incantations, including pop, jazz and folk classics, alongside classical favourites.
Featuring soloists, and long-time Fantasia collaborators, Sheku and Braimah Kanneh-Mason and Plínio Fernandes, BBC Prom 20 will be recorded for BBC 4 and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 11am on Sunday 4 August.
Meanwhile, BBC Prom 22 will take place on Monday 5 August at 11.15am, presented by another Fantasia friend and collaborator Jess Gillam – this will be a relaxed Prom with BSL interpreter and audio description.
The programme of works to feature in the performances are as follows:
Trad. Serbian arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Tom Fetherstonhaugh & Harry Baker Adje Jano
Trad. arr. Simon Parkin & Harry Baker Scarborough Fair
Johannes Brahms arr. Harry Baker Hungarian Dances (1, 2, 5)
Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Burt Bacharach/Hal David, arr. Harry Baker & Sheku Kanneh-Mason I Say a Little Prayer
Bob Marley arr. Kanneh-Masons & Harry Baker Redemption Song
Laura Mvula, arr. Harry Baker Sing to the Moon
Antonín Dvořák arr. Harry Baker Song to the Moon
Antônio Jobim, arr. Sergio Assad & Harry Baker The Girl from Ipanema
Astor Piazzolla, arr. Sergio Assad & Harry Baker Libertango
Stevie Wonder, arr. Harry Baker I wish
Bernard Edwards/Nile Rodgers, arr. Harry Baker & Sheku Kanneh-Mason Good Times
Ahead of the Proms, Fantasia and the soloists will perform the same repertoire at Guiting Festival in the Cotswolds on 26 July and then Ryedale Festival in Yorkshire on 27 July.
Founder and conductor of the Fantasia Orchestra Tom Fetherstonhaugh said: “We’re absolutely over the moon to be making our debut at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the world’s greatest classical music festival, with a programme that spans centuries, styles and genres. We’ll be sharing the stage with three long-standing friends and collaborators, who join us for a wide range of musical gems, from Brahms and Bartok to Nile Rogers and Stevie Wonder.”
Fantasia Orchestra was founded in 2016 and is home to the best of young British classical music talent today. It has recently collaborated with other eminent soloists including Alim Beisembayev, Thomas Gould, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Vadym Kholodenko, Jennifer Pike, Laura van der Heijden, and Steven Osborne.
To find out more about the company and their upcoming performances visit: https://www.fantasiaorchestra.com/