Angeline Morrison debuts at The Glasshouse on Saturday 26 July as part of BBC Proms.

She’s joined by extraordinary guests Eliza Carthy and Alex Neilson, sharing songs from her album The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience. We chatted with her about the Proms, her music, and what to expect.

What’s been a memorable performance you’ve seen at the BBC Proms?

Watching The Unthanks in 2018’s Folk Prom was spellbinding, an experience filled with magic. Even thinking about it now brings a shiver.

How does it feel to make your debut at the BBC Proms?

It’s a massive honour to perform at The Glasshouse and BBC Proms for the first time. I’m very excited but quite nervous. I’ve passed through the North East but never spent that much time here, so I’m excited to hang out here for a bit longer! I mostly remember very friendly folk.

What themes run through your 2023 album The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience?

Many thematic threads run through the album, but the key themes are resilience, tenderness, love and loss. All of these are deeply, universally human feelings that have the power to unite us as we can all relate to them in some way.

Which of the songs you’ll be performing at the BBC Proms particularly stands out to you?

Unknown African Boy (d.1830) is the first of The Sorrow Songs I composed. It’s about a little boy aged around 8 years, whose body was washed ashore after a shipwreck, along with a load of goods destined for trade and sale.

This story broke my heart; it stayed with me. We don’t tend to hear much about the child victims of the transatlantic slave trade. So, it felt very urgent for me to honour this child and others like him.

Folk legend Eliza Carthy and percussionist Alex Neilson will join you onstage. What do they bring to your live sound?

I’m so excited to play with Eliza and Alex again, having both played on the album. Eliza produced the record and composed the stunning string arrangements. It will be wild to have her play with us live. With two violins, we’ll have our very own little string section.

Alex played drums and percussion on the album – his unique, sensitive playing style was perfect. It will be the first time Alex and Eliza have been able to join me live on stage since we recorded the album in 2022.

What’s it like to help reshape what a Prom can be?

BBC Proms is changing so much, becoming a vital platform for exploring different music genres and championing new sounds and artists that might not have been associated with the Proms years ago. Being part of this reshaping process feels significant – it’s an honour.

For anyone coming to the show with fresh ears, what should they expect?

I love fresh ears! Expect an interweaving of Black British History with British Folk music. The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience tells the stories of real black ancestors in Britain in a sonic style that I hope pays homage to British folk and traditional song.