Maestro is a 2008

2008 in television

The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...

 reality TV

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 talent show

Talent show

A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...

-themed television series produced by the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

's Classical Music Department in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It was shown on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 in August and September 2008.

The show features eight celebrities (described by the BBC as "famous amateurs with a passion for classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

") competing for the chance to conduct

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 the BBC Concert Orchestra

BBC Concert Orchestra

The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....

 at the 2008 Proms in the Park at Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on 13 September 2008 as part of the BBC Proms

The Proms

The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...

series Last Night of the Proms. The show was presented by Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson is a British former barrister, best known for being a comedy writer as well as a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...

.

Format

The aim for each of the students is to prove that they have what it takes to conduct a piece in the London section of Proms in the Park.

The first stage of preparation was a week-long "Baton

Baton (conducting)

A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to exaggerate and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. They are generally made of a light wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber which is tapered to a grip shaped like a pear, drop, cylinder...

 Camp" for the students in the last week of May. A mentor

Mentorship

Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....

 has been assigned to each student (see below). The mentors are all established professional conductors, and each will work with their respective protégés, helping them to master the disciplines of orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

l, choral

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

 and opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

tic music with Soprano, Rebecca Evans

Rebecca Evans

Rebecca Evans is a Welsh operatic soprano.-Personal life:Born in the village of Pontrhydyfen near Neath, the same village as Hollywood actor Richard Burton....

 and Tenor, Alfie Boe. Rehearsals continue throughout the summer, with the students learning how to inspire and engage with the orchestra and the music.

In August the students conduct in the weekly show, which is broadcast on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 in front of a studio audience

Studio audience

A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...

 and an international judging panel made up of acknowledged experts in the field. The contestants conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra (and also learn how to conduct a large choir — in this case, the BBC Symphony Chorus

BBC Symphony Chorus

The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras....

). Each week, one student is eliminated: the marks of the judging panel determine the two weakest contestants, and members of the BBC Concert Orchestra then vote to decide who stays and who must go.

Judging panel

The panel is led by conductor Sir Roger Norrington

Roger Norrington

Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington, CBE is a British conductor. He is the son of Sir Arthur Norrington and his brother is Humphrey Thomas Norrington....

 (who conducted the Last Night of the Proms 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

), and comprises composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and cellist

Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

 Zoë Martlew, conductor Simone Young

Simone Young

Simone Margaret Young AM is an Australian conductor. She is music director of the Hamburg Philharmonic and general manager of the Hamburg State Opera...

 and double bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

ist Dominic Seldis. In the final programme (9 September), a guest judge, the Russian violinist and conductor Maxim Vengerov

Maxim Vengerov

Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov is a violinist, violist, and conductor who was born in the Soviet Union.-Youth:Born on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, Russia, to a family with musical tradition....

 stood in for Simone Young, who had a prior engagement.

Contestants and eliminations

The following table (containing the contestants along with their mentors) shows the scores obtained each episode by each contestant, along with those who were eliminated (red), and those who were eligible for elimination, but survived (yellow):

Contestant	Episode
	1 (no scoring)	2 (out of 40)	3 (out of 40)	4 (out of 40)	5 - first round (out of 80)	5 - second round (public vote)
Sue Perkins Sue Perkins Sue Perkins is an English comedienne, broadcaster, actress, and writer.-Education:Perkins was educated at Croham Hurst School, an independent school for girls in Croydon in South London, at the same time as the BBC Breakfast News presenter Susanna Reid... (TV & radio presenter, actress and writer) Mentor: Jason Lai Jason Lai Jason Lai is a British orchestral conductor. He was assistant conductor of the BBC Philharmonic from 2002 to 2005. At present he is principal conductor of the Conservatory Orchestra at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music of the National University of Singapore.-Early years:Jason started his...	-	35	33	32	67	Winner
Goldie Goldie Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist... (Electronic music artist, DJ and actor) Mentor: Ivor Setterfield	-	28	35	27	73	Runner-up
Jane Asher Jane Asher Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:... (Actress) Mentor: Christopher Warren-Green Christopher Warren-Green Christopher Warren-Green is a British violinist and conductor. He attended Westminster City Grammar School and the Royal Academy of Music....	-	24	25	29	64
Katie Derham Katie Derham Katie Derham is a British newscaster and a presenter on television and radio.-Early life:Derham was born in Stockport to John and Margaret Derham, and grew up in Wilmslow... (TV & radio presenter) Mentor: Matthew Rowe	-	26	30	29
Alex James Alex James (musician) Professionally known as Alex James is an English musician, songwriter, journalist and cheesemaker. He is best known as the bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur... (Blur Blur (band) Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...  bassist Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... ) Mentor: Brad Cohen	-	25	24	23
Bradley Walsh (Comedian and actor) Mentor: Sarah Tenant-Flowers	-	17	23
David Soul David Soul David Soul is an American-British actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television programme Starsky and Hutch . He gained British citizenship in 2004.-Early life:... (Actor) Mentor: Natalia Luis-Bassa Natalia Luis-Bassa Natalia Luis-Bassa is a conductor who currently lives and works in England where she is Musical Director of the Haffner Orchestra in Lancaster and the Hallam Sinfonia in Sheffield.-Background:...	-	22
Peter Snow Peter Snow Peter Snow, CBE is a British television and radio presenter. He is the grandson of First World War general Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, and cousin of Jon Snow, the main presenter of Channel 4 News, nephew of schoolmaster and bishop George D'Oyly Snow, and the brother-in-law of historian-writer Margaret... (TV & radio presenter) Mentor: Peter Stark Peter Stark (conductor) Peter Stark is a free-lance professional conductor from London, United Kingdom. As well as a notable educator in music, he is the Artistic Director for both the West of England Philharmonic Orchestra and Parnassus...	-