Middle-aged generation still shun the Proms over fears classical music is 'elitist', says director

Published: 16:44, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 16:58, 12 July 2026 The Proms must do more to attract middle-aged listeners who prefer pop and think classical music is 'elitist', its director has said.  Sam Jackson, 43, said that too many people from his generation had 'hang-ups' about classical music and presumed that it was 'not for them'.  He said younger people were far more fluid about their musical tastes because of the use of music streaming services such as Spotify that allow them to make their own playlists, rather than select albums.  He said: 'We have a younger generation now who don’t have the same hang-ups as perhaps the generation immediately before them around genre. They don’t necessarily define themselves by genre and they want to have a great musical experience.'  At last year's Proms, 40 per cent of its Royal Albert Hall audience was aged 40 or under and more than half booked for the first time - showing that the younger generation is driving interest to the classical concerts.  The Proms are an eight-week festival of classical music, held primarily at the Royal Albert Hall in west London.  This year's shows might face a new challenge in the form of the World Cup final.  If England beat Argentina on Wednesday they will play in the final at the same time as the Spanish National Orchestra on Sunday July 19.  At last year's Proms, 40 per cent of its Royal Albert Hall audience was aged 40 or under and more than half booked for the first time Jackson said he has spoken to BBC Sport and promised they would 'do something fun'.  He added: 'It’s going to be what everybody’s talking about.' Up to 1,000 standing tickets for certain concerts will be released on the day, priced at £8  Almost 104,000 tickets were sold on the first day of general booking for the 2026 season. Twelve concerts sold out immediately, including Martha Argerich Plays Beethoven.  The Proms start this Friday and will be broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.