Islington Proms 2025

This year’s Proms season began in fine style. On Saturday 13th September, our Artistic Director Yoon Chung led a brilliant trio through chamber pieces by Mozart and Brahms, and on Sunday 14th the sparkling baroque sextet Apollo’s Cabinet (below) delivered a scintillating programme showing how composers like Bach, Handel and Telemann borrowed material from each other – and themselves. They even managed to work in 20th-century tunes from Grease and the Simon and Garfunkel songbook.

The fun resumed the following weekend with a display of piano virtuosity by Simon Callaghan (below). He is a soloist and chamber musician with an international reputation, enjoys a successful career as a recording artist and frequently appears on BBC Radio 3. His programme for us on Friday included Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, some of Debussy’s Images and music by Rogers and Hammerstein.

Then on Saturday 27th September it was probably the loudest Prom of the season, when Dan Spanner’s mighty Big Band returned to St James’ for the first time in nine years, with a programme of jazz, swing, funk and soul.

On Sunday 28th September at 3.30 is our Youth Prom, the annual showcase for our area’s most talented young performers. The next generation of local musicians and singers present a varied programme of vocal and instrumental music.

And to round off what was a busy weekend, St James’ hosted a special Festal Evensong at 6.30 on Sunday to mark the 150th birthday of the church. A hand-picked choir directed by Patrick Allies sang music by Parry, Stanford, Bruckner, Walford Davies and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. Admission free, all welcome.