Keith Emerson and ELP Prom petition

I have signed it (i think). Not sure I'm that bothered. It would make more sense to celebrate progressive rock in a broader sense and have an evening of prog classics such as Tarkus, Suppers Ready and A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers. The BBC could do this but there is a certain snobbery in the UK from the classical world towards this genre that persists. Keith Emerson's and Tony Banks issues with trying to record with the London Philly are well documented, Both had much more joy with foreign orchestras in the end and decided not to bother 'going English'. I'm not holding my breath on the petition...

I had to look up 'UK Proms'.   In the U.S., proms are parties thrown at the end of the school year.

Yes I'd be surprised if the BBC/Proms 'bite' on this as Emerson is not a cool name to drop, despite his huge historical importance in fusing rock with classical which should theoretically be an excellent fit for the Proms traditional ethos of popularising classical music. If it was done properly my view is that an Emerson Prom could be excellent. They'd need a top quality arranger like Godfrey Salmon who worked with Emerson on Works, plus the best soloist available to interpret Emerson's very individual style - Rachel Flowers would be the obvious choice.