#BRISTOLPROMS - The wait is nearly over...

With a newly found rock'n'roll reputation, preparations for this year's Bristol Proms are well under way here at Bristol Old Vic - classical music has never looked (and sounded) so good. [gallery type="rectangular" ids="176471114,176471118,176471116"] We're getting particularly excited for artists like Will Gregory, Daniel Hope and Valentina Lisitsa to arrive in our beautiful theatre and to have the opportunity to catch these beautiful musicians from mere feet away (plus, the added bonus that tickets start at just a fiver!). Tom Morris, Bristol Old Vic Artistic Director and Bristol Proms visionary, feels that Bristol Proms is much, much more than your average classical music concert. With a distinct vision and passionate manifesto, Bristol Proms “gives us a sense of what a classical concert might look and feel like in 50 years’ time,” though he insists that “our most resounding discovery at the 2013 Bristol Proms was that the most old-fashioned technology remains the most potent of all: the atmosphere, the magic that can occur if an audience is free to respond instinctively.” Last year, audience response was incredible. Here's what they had to say: "I have never witnessed the Old Vic so available and generous and packed beyond packed. As if notice of a student party had gone viral." "Glancing round the audience there was a  pleasing mix of young and old, of suits and hoodies.  A couple of students in the pit were bopping gently to a Chopin étude; some stared at the floor, lost in the music, and others were transfixed by the monochrome graphics on screen.  It was an exciting start to a week that could make a huge impact on Bristol for summers to come." "It took me through a journey that absorbed me totally. Any thought that came to my head was eaten, crushed, hoovered, you name it, by the power of this music. I am not lying when I say this is the best classical music I have witnessed in all my twelve years.""There was something magical happening. Some alchemy in the air that night." "The melody meanders down the keyboard and then back up from the bass like a lover’s fingers dancing up your spine, leaving us in no doubt as to why Bach had so many children" Tom reminded us that “in the 1760s, when our theatre opened, it was presenting a dangerous and subversive art form: coming here was like visiting a speakeasy or attending a rave. It was hot-blooded entertainment.” With a line-up filled with the hottest musical talent, we can't help but feel a rush of blood to the head for the electrifying week of intoxicating aural entertainment headed our way! Follow this link to find out more, or to book your ticket and join us for the revolution! #BRISTOLPROMS