1 December 2016

A local husband and wife team are dreaming big with an ambitious event in the York Museum Gardens.

On Sunday 9th July 2017, the York Museum Gardens will be the stunning backdrop to the inaugural York Proms, an open air picnic concert celebrating the most popular classical music ever written with a rousing proms finale, champagne, strawberries and much more.

The new event will also raise money for the York Museums Trust, which operates York Museum Gardens along with York Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, York Art Gallery and York St Mary’s in York.

The event is the brainchild of husband and wife team, Jonathan Fewtrell and Rebecca Newman, who many people in York will remember as the couple who made music history when Rebecca’s album Dare to Dream went to number 1 in the official classical albums chart as a self-released artist.

Jonathan says:

“This is a very exciting event to add to York’s calendar of events and will be something enjoyed both by locals and those who like to travel to York for a few days away. I’ve worked alongside my wife, Rebecca Newman, for a number of years and seen how fantastic these outdoor picnic style concerts can be and have always been surprised York doesn’t have one.

“We have never been people who sit and wait for things to happen, so we decided to take on the challenge to launch the York Proms ourselves. After looking at potential venues for some time we are really pleased to go into partnership with the York Museums Trust to secure such a beautiful, central setting in York, which will make for a truly magical event.”

Mike Woodward, chief operating officer, said:

“We are really pleased to be working with Rebecca, Jonathan and their team on the first York Proms. The event promises to be a relaxing summer’s evening of fantastic music in the beautiful setting of York Museum Gardens.”

Rebecca Newman started out as a busker in York back in 2005, and quickly won the hearts of thousands of local people, who watched her career go from strength to strength, topping the classical charts, appearing on national TV and radio, touring with Russell Watson, singing with Alfie Boe, Aled Jones, Blake, and sharing a bill with the likes of Collabro and Tom Jones.

Rebecca will host the first event and is currently in talks with artists both local and international to help complete the line up. However, she is keen to involve lots of local talent in the event. She says:

“It’s very important that we have great links with the local community and we have some fantastic ideas to get local talent and suppliers involved with the event. Anyone interested to know more is welcome to contact us via the website. We have lots of local people helping out with the management and we’re very proud to be working closely with the York Museums Trust.”

The musical line up is currently being finalized and tickets will go on sale at 9am on 10th December. There will be limited availability for the first year and tickets are expected to sell quickly, so people who are keen to attend are recommended to sign up to the York Proms emailing list to get access to a 48 hour ticket pre-sale and an early bird discounted ticket price.

Book your tickets by 31st December at the super early bird price of £29.50 for adults, £12 for children 3-16, and £80 for a family ticket. Go to www.yorkproms.com to sign up to the newsletter and for ticket information.