Proms 2014: the orchestras taking part for the first time — theguardian.com

Ten international ensembles are making their first Proms appearance this year. Many are from countries that do not have an established tradition of classical music and operate outside the mainstream Euro-American hub that has dominated classical music for the past 300 years. Ten or 20 years ago many of these countries, which now boast world-class ensembles, barely even had an orchestra. We talked to players from the orchestras making their Proms debut and asked them to tell us about the role the orchestra plays in their country’s cultural life.

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