After a fantastic first night, week one of the 2012 BBC Proms has seen music  from the likes of Strauss, Debussy and even My Fair Lady fill the grand Royal Albert Hall.

I attended Wednesday’s free late night prom, which was dedicated to Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. These well-loved pieces were played by Le Concert Spirituel, who use 17th- and 18th-century instruments to replicate the original sound of music composed during that era. Their vast ensemble was comprised of an impressive 80 instruments, and the task of leading them was likened to “driving a big van” by its charismatic conductor, Hervé Niquet. Wind and brass instruments were in abundance, and my personal favourite was a giant bassoon, which looked like a large stick insect that was playing the small man holding it.

It was both fascinating and uplifting to hear Handel’s music played by this wonderful group, which did full justice to pieces designed to be played in a grand outdoor setting. The majestic music was clearly appreciated by the packed hall, and the ever-enjoyable Proms atmosphere was tinged with the slight cheekiness that always accompanies its late night concerts.

Sitting in the choir seats, which are behind the stage, gave me a fantastic view of the beautiful hall and the ensemble. It was an utter delight to watch the conductor from this position, who has an incredible fluidity of motion and resembled a mischievous zephyr in a bark coat, poised to swoop between the players and swoop their instruments away on his irresistible breeze.

There are still many weeks of the BBC Proms to go, featuring a hugely diverse programme performed by world-class musicians. With £5 prom tickets available to those who queue on the day, there really is no reason to miss this fantastic festival.

We’re giving away lots of fantastic Royal London prizes to celebrate the Royal Wedding in London. Here’s details of another great giveaway.

Classical music fans will love this special Royal Wedding concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 17 April.

We’re giving away two pairs of stalls tickets to this spectacular concert.

Get into the celebratory mood with much-loved classics including Mendel’s Wedding March, Land of Hope and Glory, and Rule, Britannia!

Anthony Inglis conducts the acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra who are joined by the Royal Choral Society.

Enter to win tickets to the Royal Wedding Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

If you’re not familiar with Bulgarian music and art, now’s the time to experience it. The London Festival of Bulgarian Culture is in full swing, with events ranging from sell-out concerts in the Queen Elizabeth Hall to art exhibitions at the Bulgarian Embassy.

On Friday, the London Bulgarian Choir add their voices to the festival with a concert at St John’s, Smith Square. I found out more for our World in London series.

Only about a third of the choir’s 40 singers are Bulgarian by birth. The rest – Londoners from the UK, Germany, Greece, Poland, France, Japan and India – have absorbed Bulgaria’s distinctive vocal style and asymmetric rhythms from their leader and musical director, Dessislava Stefanova.

“Over the last decade, we’ve sung all over the UK, toured Bulgaria twice, won BBC Radio 3′s Open Choir of the Year, done the BBC Electric Proms with Doves and riotous festivals with British Sea Power, performed in galleries and nightclubs and memorably on a barge travelling up the Thames. It’s been quite a ride,” says Stefanova.

“On Friday, we’re singing in the beautiful acoustics of St John’s, Smith Square for the first time. The concert not only allows us to celebrate our 10th birthday in style, but is also the premiere of new songs by the acclaimed Bulgarian composer Kiril Todorov.

“Kiril’s music is a vital and favourite part of our repertoire; his work is by turns tender, gripping and charming, traditional yet modern, unmistakable yet enormously varied.

“Thanks to the BBC Performing Arts Fund, we were able to commission six new pieces from Kiril, and have enjoyed working with him in the UK, and on tour in Bulgaria this August. We’re looking forward to a wonderful, celebratory evening of musical treats.”

London Bulgarian Choir, St John’s, Smith Square, 12 November 2010. Concert starts 7.30pm, doors from 7pm. Tickets £15/£10 from www.sjss.org.uk or on the door. Find out more at www.londonbulgarianchoir.co.uk. Do you have more Bulgarian London tips? Let us know in the comments below…

Fourteen musicians and 12 opera singers combined their talents for an impromptu performance which lasted almost an hour.

Crowds turned up in their thousands to enjoy the music, which included classical pieces, opera arias and musical numbers.

Shoppers and visitors delved deep into their pockets, and raised more than £2,200. Congratulations to all those involved!

Follow Covent Garden on Twitter @CoventGardenLDN and you’ll hear more about one-off gigs in the Market.

This weekend, the Royal Albert Hall celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin with an uplifting prom themed around evolution.

Special guest presenter Sir David Attenborough and conductor Charles Hazlewood took the audience on a musical journey from the big bang, through life on earth and off into space!

We all joined in the beginning of the world, quietly humming, then whistling and finally whooping as the BBC Concert Orchestra and London Philharmonic Choir reached a melodic crescendo.

The prom introduced two premieres – the first performance of Goldie’s classical work Sine Tempore and the first UK performance of Hekla by Jón Leifs. Hekla sounds like a volcano exploding and included percussionists smashing rocks together, banging an anvil and even a canon booming at the back of the hall.

Dinosaurs from the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs turned up to terrorise the audience and eat a few children. The T rex on the stage roared while the orchestra performed the theme from Jurassic Park. (And I’ve only just stopped having nightmares after being scared by Daleks at last year’s Doctor Who themed prom!)

After the dinosaurs, prommers enjoyed music about insects, animals and birds. Then humans arrived, heralded by Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. The concert ended with the futuristic Star Wars theme.

You can catch the Evolution Prom on iPlayer, but even better, you can book a ticket for one of the upcoming proms. The proms run till the 12th September and there are still tickets available for most concerts. Tickets start from just £5.

Read more about the 2009 BBC Proms.