The Proms to commission eight female composers for women's vote centenary

Eight female composers will be commissioned to write new works for this year’s Proms.

The works will help to mark 100 years since (some) women were granted the right to vote with the 1918 Representation of the People Act.

It will also contribute to efforts to redress the gender imbalance in the Proms’ line-up, with work by 22 female composers in total featured this year. The Proms made a pledge earlier this year that they would aim for a 50:50 gender balance by 2022.

The eight-week classical music festival returns to the Royal Albert Hall and other venues around the capital this summer, and will open by marking 100 years since the First World War ended.

The First Night concert will feature a new work by composer Anna Meredith, entitled Five Telegrams. Using live video projections as well as music, it will look at how soldiers communicated with families at home whilst in the trenches.

Other highlights include a performance of West Side Story to mark Leonard Bernstein’s centenary year.

The Proms will run from July 13-September 8. Many concerts will be broadcast on TV and radio, and more than 100,000 tickets will be less than £15.