Latest news with #SowetoKinch
Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
JADE review — an impressive Proms debut from the former Little Mix star
The Proms' annual weekend in the northeast of England has become a regular fixture, but this year everything felt as if it had been dialled up a notch. Lots of touches, including more concerts in more places and the first time that any Prom outside of London has been televised, indicated expansion and confidence. Also for the first time the festival escaped Gateshead, staging a jazz celebration in the Fire Station in Sunderland. Hosted by Soweto Kinch, who twice picked up his saxophone to join in, this featured some esoteric psychedelia from the trumpeter Theo Croker and some more instantly appealing virtuosity from the Joe Webb trio, whose freewheeling centenary tribute to Oscar Peterson stole the show. • Read more of our music critics' verdicts on the Proms Undoubtedly, however, the star of the weekend was Jade Thirlwall, who may have put her Little Mix days behind her, but hasn't forgotten her South Shields roots. Much of her Friday night Glasshouse set (which featured a high-class warm-up from the engaging, Middlesbrough-born Finn Forster) was a love letter to the region. The magic came from JADE's ability to project larger-than-life star quality with the ability to hold the audience close, whether she was belting out her hits — the concert included material from her forthcoming album along with selections from her back catalogue — or covering songs by Madonna or Sam Fender. JADE has the voice of a diva combined with communicative immediacy, with roof-raisers sitting happily alongside softer songs of disarming intimacy. • Read more classical reviews, guides and interviews The Royal Northern Sinfonia provided her with dutiful but unobtrusive background support in arrangements conducted by Robert Ames. Their own moment in the spotlight came on Saturday evening alongside the pianist David Fray, who played a Bach concerto sensitively, if not always in sync with the beat of conductor Dinis Sousa. They also gave a rousing performance of Mendelssohn's Lobgesang Symphony, for which they were joined by no fewer than three choruses from Tyneside and Huddersfield, all of whom sang their hearts out.★★★★☆On BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City venue prepares to host Proms for first time
A city venue is preparing to host the BBC Proms for the first time. The Fire Station in Sunderland will host the jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch later. He will be presenting a special edition of his Radio 3 show Round Midnight, which celebrates jazz from all eras and around the globe. "There's such a breadth and diversity of expression within what we call jazz," said Kinch. Other guests expected at the Fire Station include jazz trumpeter Theo Croker, the band Joe Webb Trio and Newcastle-based musician Rivkala. On Friday pop star Jade, who found fame as part of Little Mix, will be at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The South Shields-born singer will be performing songs from her upcoming solo album, alongside the Royal Northern Sinfonia with the concert broadcast live on BBC radio. She previously said: "The Proms is such a huge part of British music culture, and to be performing with a full orchestra - in this iconic venue, with my hometown crowd - is a dream." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. More on this topic North East Brit success for Sam Fender and Jade Sage Gateshead new name to avoid confusion revealed Related internet links The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sunderland Fire Station prepares to host BBC Proms for first time
A city venue is preparing to host the BBC Proms for the first Fire Station in Sunderland will host the jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch will be presenting a special edition of his Radio 3 show Round Midnight, which celebrates jazz from all eras and around the globe."There's such a breadth and diversity of expression within what we call jazz," said Kinch. Other guests expected at the Fire Station include jazz trumpeter Theo Croker, the band Joe Webb Trio and Newcastle-based musician Friday pop star Jade, who found fame as part of Little Mix, will be at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The South Shields-born singer will be performing songs from her upcoming solo album, alongside the Royal Northern Sinfonia with the concert broadcast live on BBC previously said: "The Proms is such a huge part of British music culture, and to be performing with a full orchestra - in this iconic venue, with my hometown crowd - is a dream." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Jade to headline BBC Proms' return to Gateshead at Glasshouse
Pop star Jade has been announced as one of the headline acts when the BBC Proms returns to Gateshead this South Shields-born singer, who found fame as part of Little Mix, will be at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music on Friday 25 been named Best Pop Act at this year's Brit Awards, the 32-year-old will be performing songs from her upcoming solo album alongside the Royal Northern Sinfonia with the concert broadcast live on BBC costing between £8 and £62.50 will go on sale at midday with organisers describing it as "a proper homecoming moment". The Proms event will run until Sunday 27 July with the Glasshouse line-up also featuring singer-songwriter Angeline Morrison, guitarist Sean Shibe and a CBeebies Wildlife Jamboree. The Glasshouse said the Proms would be "a weekend of world-class music" featuring "classical heavyweights to joyful family concerts, late-night jazz to inspiring folk and ground-breaking collaborations".Jazz saxophonist, hip-hop artist, curator and presenter Soweto Kinch will get the Proms under way as it visits Sunderland for the first will be performing at the city's Fire Station arts venue on Thursday 24 July. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Spectator
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Why can't the BBC Proms stick to classical music?
Welcome to this year's BBC Proms, the self-styled 'World's Greatest Classical Music Festival', whose programme was revealed today. Every year I write about how even The Proms, which bills itself unambiguously as a festival of classical music, can't bring itself to be just that: a festival of classical music. And every year it gets worse, with the idea of 'inclusion' so pervasive that music which has as much to do with a classical music festival as my pet cat would have at Crufts taking over ever more evenings. This year's schedule is the final straw. On day two, the Proms presents 'The Great American Songbook and Beyond' with Samara Joy, which is followed by 'Round Midnight' with 'hip hop artist Soweto Kinch'. That's followed a few nights later by Angeline Morrison singing folk songs from her album 'The Sorrow Songs', and then Arooj Aftab and Ibrahim Maalouf with their 'captivating, eclectic melting-pot of influences from jazz, folk, pop, blues and South Asian' and 'Middle Eastern melodies…jazz, Latin jazz, and African rhythms' respectively. There's an evening of Soul Revolution, which will 'trace a path from spirituals through gospel to soul, revealing the role of these genres in supporting the Civil Rights movement.
