BBC Proms 2026 Program Includes James Bond Music and Progressive Rock

The BBC Proms 2026 season will include music from James Bond films and a concert dedicated to progressive rock classics, in addition to orchestral performances, operas, and soloist appearances. The season consists of 86 concerts scheduled in London, Gateshead, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, and Mold.

Performers include percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, soprano Louise Alder, and pianist Yuja Wang.

feature a celebration of Miles Davis's centenary and events marking the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death. The program also includes a tribute to Disney composer Alan Menken and a space-themed event with the team from the TV show Horrible Histories.

A brass band concert will include Yorkshire's Black Dyke Band in their sixth festival appearance. The season will present the world premiere of a new concerto. Every concert will be broadcast on Radio 3 and BBC Sounds, with 24 programs on BBC television and iPlayer.

An ensemble will present an immersive take on Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians at Bristol's Beacon Hall, marking 50 years since its premiere. This is one of two concerts honoring Steve Reich on his 90th birthday. At the same venue, a soloist, a disabled musician using eye movements to play an innovative, software-based instrument called the Clarion, will perform.

At the Royal Albert Hall, a German musician, born without arms, will play Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3 using his feet.

The progressive rock concert is scheduled for July 18 and will include new orchestral arrangements of hits by various artists. Additional events will feature a band in their Royal Albert Hall debut and include a performance by a singer-songwriter in Gateshead.

A concert will feature music from films like Skyfall and The Spy Who Loved Me. A series on American music will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, including works by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland.

director stated that the American music series was planned two years ago, before recent world events. He added that classical music should be shared broadly and not stifled by geopolitical climate.

“I believe strongly that the potency and power of classical music, and the stories of those who compose it, should be shared with a broad audience.”

The season concludes on September 12 with the Last Night of the Proms, led by a conductor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, featuring a tenor and pianist performing a piano concerto. The program will end with traditional pieces including sea shanties, Pomp and Circumstance, and Auld Lang Syne.

More than 300,000 tickets are available, with nearly a quarter priced at £8, marking the 131st year of the festival and 99 years since the BBC began organizing and broadcasting it.