Book excerpt: The BBC Proms is the world's biggest and longest-running classical music festival and one of the jewels in the crown for the BBC. Held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, it is one of the strongest brand names in the music world and attracts a glittering array of artists and orchestras from the UK and around the world. Whether you're a first-time visitor or an experienced Prommer, watching at home or listening on radio or online, the BBC Proms Guide is an excellent companion to a remarkable summer of music, which you can treasure and return to in years to come. Filled with concert listings and articles by leading experts, journalists and writers, the BBC Proms Guide offers a wide-ranging insight into the performers and repertoire, as well as thought-provoking opinion pieces about audiences, music and music-making. The contents for 2022 include a sideways look at opera by comedian and opera fanatic Chris Addison; a profile of the legendary 'Queen of Soul' and civil rights activist Aretha Franklin; a specially commissioned short story by award-winning author Barney Norris; and anniversary features on Vaughan Williams, Iannis Xenakis and George Walker. In the centenary of the BBC, former Proms director Sir Nicholas Kenyon writes about how the Proms has developed under the Corporation's wing; and Juilliard School violinist-turned-performance coach Noa Kageyama looks at how musicians can improve their practising technique to allow them to operate at the highest level.