BBC Proms: Paraorchestra and The Breath

Bristol Beacon: Friday 22 August 2025

Musicians sit in a circle with their instruments in a brightly lit rehearsal room.

About BBC Proms: Paraorchestra and The Breath

Paraorchestra return to BBC Proms Bristol this August with the premiere of a very special artistic collaboration.

In this brand new commission Paraorchestra combine with Ríoghnach Connolly and Stuart McCallum - the award-winning duo better known as The Breath. 

With the rousing poetry and folkloric lyricism of The Breath at its core, Oliver Vibrans acts as a ‘responding composer’ to create a vivid sound-world manifested through Paraorchestra’s virtuoso playing, incorporating an array of rare instrumentation for a truly singular experience. 

We have fallen in love. The Breath are in a lane of their own, as storytellers, as powerful music makers, and with the glorious Oliver Vibrans working as a conduit between them and us, the signs are already of something new, unusual, thrilling and life-affirming.

Charles Hazlewood, Artistic Director

Credits

Creative team

You might also like:

  1. A conductor stands in the centre of a large circle of musicians with his arms outstretched in front of him. He has short hair and a moustache and is wearing all white. The musicians are also all wearing white, and they are playing a variety of instruments including violins and violas. A large audience are interspersed amongst the performers. The room is dark and the performers are illuminated in hues of pink, with beams of white light spotlighting the conductor.

    The Anatomy of the Orchestra: Drone Refractions

    Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam: Friday 13 June 2025

    Walk amongst the orchestra as they chart an immersive odyssey through drone.
    More information (The Anatomy of the Orchestra: Drone Refractions)
  2. A group of musicians and dancers stand in a circle, facing both inwards and outwards, all wearing white with a bright white splash of light beaming above them. An audience is visible in the background.

    The Virtuous Circle

    Southbank Centre: Sunday 29 June 2025

    Exploring the orchestra as the ultimate embodiment of teamwork, The Virtuous Circle recasts the classical concert as an extraordinary fusion of dance and orchestral performance.
    More information (The Virtuous Circle)
  3. A wide-frame drone shot of The Cow and Calf Rocks, Ilkley Moor in Yorkshire. The image shows hills, fields as well as the town of Ilkley in the distance

    The Bradford Progress

    Bradford District: Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 May 2025

    A collaboration between Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood, Jeremy Deller and the people of Bradford created for Bradford City of Culture 2025.
    More information (The Bradford Progress)