Castle Howard Proms Weekend

August 21st, 2021

Classical Opera meets Killer Queen rock

Rain certainly didn’t dampen spirits at Castle Howard’s 30th Proms concert, as Forever Tenors were delighted to join an impressive line-up of classical singers for Yorkshire’s most prestigious alfresco proms event – and even returned the following night to perform again with rock heroes Queen Symphonic!

Best-selling tenor Wynne Evans (from the Go Compare TV ads) and fabulous soprano Victoria Joyce were among those headlining this year, with rousing musical accompaniment from the London Gala Orchestra, under the baton of Stephen Bell.

With a 7,000-strong crowd, the Proms atmosphere was electric from the start, with a perfect opening in the form of a Spitfire flyover to the orchestral accompaniment of Pomp and Circumstance No 4, the RAF March and Dambusters anthem.

Forever Tenors couldn’t wait to perform, despite the torrential downpours, which luckily turned to drizzle as they stepped onto the stage, to a sea of umbrellas.

But raindrops didn’t deter the fabulously patriotic audience – many of whom were proudly donning red, white and blue - from joining in and waving their flags to Forever Tenors' classical crossover hits. The response was fantastic as the duo performed an amazing set including favourites from their new album Surrender such as Nights in White Satin (Notte Di Luce) and Rule The World (Il Mondo e Nostro).

But it was their version of John Farnham's You're The Voice, which really hit the spot and got the audience up on their feet, clapping and singing along.

The scene was set for a spectacular evening of classical music, as Wynne and Victoria both went on to wow the crowds with their phenomenal operatic vocals, even drawing tears from the audience with their touching rendition of Time to Say Goodbye.

It was so lovely chatting to them both backstage, and FT’s Adam also enjoyed catching up with conductor Stephen once again, after previously working with him and the Halle Orchestra at Jodrell Bank in 2013.

The Forever Tenors returned the next day to support the amazing Queen Symphonic, a magical fusion of rock, incredible vocals and a classical orchestral sound, celebrating the band’s greatest hits.

Once again, more than 7,000 people turned out to enjoy the outdoor Queen extravanganza at Castle Howard, basking in beautiful evening sunshine.

Forever Tenors once again opened the event with their stunning set of classically-arranged songs with an Italian twist to really get the crowds going.

It was such an honour to spend the weekend performing to amazing crowds alongside a talented bunch of musicians and vocalists, in such a magnificent setting like Castle Howard. The perfect classical crossover weekend!

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