Shropshire Proms and fireworks spectacular in Oswestry this summer

Plans have been announced for an outdoor Proms concert, led by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, at Oswestry Showground on Friday 1 June 2012, just a few days prior to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and on the eve of the OsFest Music Festival.

Billed as The Shropshire Proms, the family event has been organised by Shropshire Council in conjunction with 7Sense event management, and will culminate in a spectacular firework display, with a children’s funfair, various food stalls and several bars on site.  The world-famous orchestra will perform a full programme of popular classical tunes including Jerusalem, Rule Britannia, Land of My Fathers and Land of Hope and Glory, complete with a rousing, flag-waving finale.

Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said:

“This promises to be a fantastic event which I’m sure will draw in the crowds from miles around. 

“As well boosting tourism in the area, it will also celebrate everything that is great about Shropshire and mark the Queen’s Jubilee in style.”

The Shropshire Proms will take place on Friday 1 June 2012 at The Oswestry Showground.  Tickets are priced at £25.00 each, and £60.00 for a family of four. Additional tickets for 11-16 year olds can be purchased for £10, and under 10s go free.

Tickets are available from the Theatre Severn box office on 01743 281281 www.theatresevern.co.uk 

*Pictured is the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at Rochester Proms.  Photo courtesy of Medway Council.

The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (RPCO) has delighted audiences worldwide with its versatile programming, having been in constant demand for live performances and recordings of classical, light classical and popular music since its formation in 1987.  The RPCO has a deservedly excellent reputation for working with internationally-renowned artists ranging from opera luminaries Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras, Lesley Garrett, Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa and the late Luciano Pavarotti, to popular culture icons Burt Bacharach, Tina Turner, George Benson, Michel Legrand, Henry Mancini, Liza Minnelli, Randy Newman, Sir Cliff Richard, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow and Stevie Wonder, to name but a few.

The diverse nature of the RPCO’s work has taken it into a variety of settings from the traditional – concert halls, stadiums and cathedrals – to the unorthodox – racecourses, botanical gardens and train stations.  Its most frequently requested programmes include Classical Favourites, Magic of the Movies, Opera Gala and the ever-popular Last Night of the Proms.

Highlights of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra’s current season have included four performances with Barry Manilow at London’s O2 Arena in May 2011 and a series of outdoor Summer Prom concerts at locations around the country such as Hampton Court Palace, Kenwood House, Belton House, Canary Wharf, the Chichester Real Ale and Jazz Festival and Leeds Castle.  The RPCO also joined the pop/opera quartet Il Divo for two sell-out performances at the London Coliseum and is looking forward to performing with Broadway star Idina Menzel and Marvin Hamlisch at the Royal Albert Hall in October and with Scottish Ballet at Sadler’s Wells in November.

The RPCO’s busy 2010 schedule included a European tour of Star Wars: In Concert, with shows in Paris, Madrid, Milan, Lisbon, Hamburg, Antwerp, Dublin and throughout the UK. The RPCO also accompanied Sting on his Symphonicity world tour performing to sell-out audiences across the USA and Canada, throughout the UK and Europe, including Belarus and Russia, to wide critical acclaim.  Other highlights included a concert with Dionne Warwick for the Variety Club of Great Britain and an evening with Dame Julie Andrews at the O2 Arena, in addition to numerous classical concerts across the UK.

The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra’s 2009 performances included a number of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall including a St George’s Day Gala and an acclaimed twenty-show production of the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, starring Maria Friedman.  Highlights of the summer months included concerts at the Hampton Court Palace Festival, Rochester Castle and at Kenwood House Concert Bowl. The autumn season began with the RPCO joining comedian Barry Humphries (and his famous alter ego Dame Edna Everage) for a riotous UK tour of Last Night of the Poms! Other high profile performances later in the year included two Christmas concerts alongside Il Divo and Vanessa Mae at the Hammersmith Apollo.  The RPCO’s biggest engagement during the winter season was the spectacular Star Wars: A Musical Journey tour, with thirty-five concert performances all over the USA and Canada featuring stunning film and light special effects.

The RPCO’s schedule during 2008 included a Valentine’s Day Opera Gala in Bristol, a St George’s Day Concert and the Cathcart Spring Prom (both at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Choral Society), a performance of the RPCO’s best-selling Here Come The Classics™ programme at Milton Keynes Theatre and an appearance at the Forum Theatre, Great Malvern.  Festival appearances over the summer months included a concert-performance of Bizet’s Carmen at the Hampton Court Palace Festival and a string of Picnic Prom appearances throughout the summer months at venues such as Rochester Castle, RHS Wisley Gardens (with Lesley Garrett), Audley End House (with Michael Ball and Lesley Garrett), Kenwood House and at the Peterborough Festival.

The 2007 season featured a number of corporate events and high profile performances including the British Insurance Awards at the Royal Albert Hall.  The RPCO also appeared on BBC Television’s Children in Need broadcast, and in November 2007 accompanied Annie Lennox and Westlife.  The year culminated in a series of concerts together with Lemar and Katherine Jenkins in front of an audience which included HM The Queen to launch the newly renovated St Pancras International Station.  2005 saw the RPCO take part in a BBC televised concert in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Sixtieth Anniversary of VE Day, performing with Sir Cliff Richard, Will Young, Katie Melua, Daniel Bedingfield and Heather Small.  That year’s busy schedule also included performances with Tony Christie. In the summer of 2004, the RPCO performed to an audience of 70,000 at the Olympic Torch Concert in The Mall, televised live on BBC One, with Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne.

As well as touring Star Wars: In Concert and Symphonicity with Sting in recent years, the RPCO has a flourishing international schedule which has included visits to Mexico, South Korea, Greece, Barbados, the Far East, Italy, Monaco, Rome, Spain, Russia, Estonia and Turkey.  Touring highlights have included a performance with Paquito D’Rivera in Brazil and trips to Scandinavia for a concert tour of Les Misérables.  The RPCO has toured the USA with Andrea Bocelli, and also as part of an extensive gala Royal Christmas tour (2002) with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Charlotte Church.  A repeat Royal Christmas tour of North America in December 2005, featuring Andrea Bocelli and Denyce Graves, performed to sell-out audiences.

The RPCO’s many recordings include Mancini Rocks the Pops, Premier Pops, Pop Go the Beatles, Andrew Lloyd Webber Classic Songs and Elmer Bernstein by Elmer Bernstein.  It has featured on two best-selling recordings with Lesley Garrett, including the hugely successful Soprano in Red. 

Press quotes – The King And I, 2009

“The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra adds to the atmosphere of visual and aural opulence.” The Guardian

“There’s impressive playing from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.”  Evening Standard

“The Royal Philharmonic provides lustrous accompaniment.”  Time Out Magazine

“The show’s musical standards, with excellent playing from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, are outstanding.”  Daily Telegraph

*Pictured is the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at Rochester Proms.  Photo courtesy of Medway Council.