THE hugely celebrated Cork Proms is set to make a major “comeback” this Easter with a series of themed concerts featuring music from the three Bs — Beethoven, Broadway, and The Beatles.

After a pandemic-related hiatus, the event which was first held in 2019, returns for its second iteration from April 6-13.

“The Cork Proms is a kind of celebration of Cork as a musical city,” CEO of Cork Opera House, Eibhlín Gleeson, told The Echo.

“It has our orchestra which is an orchestra that was founded by the Opera House in 2015, the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra.

“It’s a celebration of what their capacity is.

“We’re going to use tonnes of local musicians and local singers to participate in it and it’s just really a celebration of Cork and it’s an opportunity for people to come together, listen to some amazing music and have an amazing night together.”

After the 2019 Cork Proms went down a storm with audiences, Cork Opera House was eager to bring it back in 2020, but this was scuppered by the pandemic.

“This is kind of our comeback after the pandemic,” Ms Gleeson said.

“We hope now that it can become a regular feature on our programme. We’re building our audiences, we really need people to support it so that we can make sure that we can keep going in the years to come.”

Kicking off the Cork Proms on April 6, audiences will be treated to an evening of some of Beethoven’s most-famous orchestral works, under the baton of Maestro John O’Brien.

An evening of Broadway hits featuring a host of incredible talent with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, conducted by Conor Palliser, will take place on April 8 and 9.

These concerts promise to take audiences on a “journey through the best-loved songs from American musicals” featuring hits from My Fair Lady, Chicago, Funny Girl, and more.

On April 12 and 13, the Cork Proms will conclude with music from one of the most celebrated bands of all time, The Beatles.

Concerts during the Cork Proms will feature the likes of Jack O’Rourke, Wallis Bird, Emma Nash, Majella Cullagh and more.

“We’ve really tried to build it so that it’s successful across the entire community and that it resonates with everybody,” Ms Gleeson said.

She encouraged those in particular who may not be familiar with orchestral music to consider attending one of the shows.

Ms Gleeson also hopes the 2023 Cork Proms will be a particularly meaningful occasion after the difficult pandemic years.

“It will be a moment to think about what we’ve been through and what we’ve come out of and celebrate all the great things in life,” she said.

Tickets are €32. A discount applies to those looking to attend three shows. See corkoperahouse.ie for more.