BBC Proms: Sean Shibe and Friends
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
- Take a listen
Dynamic. Compelling. A mesmerising journey.
Who’s on stage
Dynamo guitarist Sean Shibe (you might have caught him as part of our Echo Rising Stars Festival lineup last year) is joined by a group of starry musical friends for this exquisite afternoon Prom.
What they’re playing
Cassandra Miller’s beautiful Bel Canto, James Dillon’s 12 Caprices which capture fleeting ideas in sound, and a modernist masterpiece that redefined 20th century music – Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître.
This Prom will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio.
Need to know
Price: £8 promming (standing), £21.50 seated.
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes, includes 20 minute interval
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Concert programme: find out more about the music and musicians in your free BBC Proms programme.
We’re carrying out bag and ticket checks upon arrival. Please have your belongings ready for inspection so you don’t miss a beat! See our bag policy.
What you'll hear
James Dillon 12 Caprices
Cassandra Miller Bel canto
Pierre Boulez Le marteau sans maître
Who's playing it
Sean Shibe guitars
Alphonse Cemin conductor
Ema Nikolovska mezzo-soprano
Adam Walker alto flute
Matthew Hunt clarinet
Mira Benjamin violin
Emma Wernig viola
Colin Alexander cello
George Barton, Sam Wilson, Iris van den Bos percussion
Find out more
The Times newspaper has chosen this Prom as one you have to watch. But don’t just take their word for it. We caught up with Sean to find out why this Prom is so good and what you can expect from the musicians and soloists.
Whats happening in the music
Cassandra Miller’s Bel Canto is an intimate musical portrait of the American-Greek soprano (singer) Maria Callas, based on her famous live recording of Vissi d’arte from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear swoops and twists in the notes reflecting the aging of the young woman growing older.
Pierre Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître was the piece that catapulted him into the forefront as a music pioneer in 1955. He used three surrealist poems by the Frenchman René Char as the starting point of this composition. The result leaves you in a labyrinthine realm of words and sounds to get lost in.
You’ll also hear a brand new piece by James Dillon which had its world premiere at Wigmore Hall in May 2025, performed by Shibe. Hear the words of poet Federico García Lorca come to life — first spoken, then transformed into music.
Take a listen
Listen to the performance by Maria Callas that inspired the Cassandra Miller piece Bel Canto.
Take a watch
Settle down and watch Pierre Boulez in action when he appears with the Vienna Philharmonic in the fascinating 1998 Arthaus production Pierre Boulez in Rehearsal.
A proper Sunday roast
Tuck into our take on the classic. Locally sourced cuts or hearty plant-based plates, served with seasonal veggies and all the trimmings.
