A concert is taking place in May as part of the King’s Coronation celebrations and famous faces have been named in the line-up.
Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are just some of the famous faces that will take to the stage at Windsor Castle, the BBC has announced.
Also included in the show’s lineup are Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.
More acts performing at the Coronation Concert are set to be announced soon.
With less than a month to go, we’ve announced some new ceremonial details about the #Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 9, 2023
Take a look at our thread to find out more👇
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When is the Coronation concert taking place?
The concert will take place on Sunday, May 7, one day after the King’s Coronation and it will see 20,000 members of the public and invited guests attend.
It will be broadcast across BBC television and radio stations so those who won’t be there in person can still join in with the celebrations.
Take That to return to the stage for the first time in four years
The BBC has said Take That’s performance will feature three of the original members, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, but the show would offer an opportunity for Robbie Williams and Jason Orange to rejoin for a one-off reunion.
Williams has joined the remaining trio in recent years, including for a virtual charity show during the pandemic.
The group have performed at many Royal Variety Performances over the years, with Barlow also curating the concert outside Buckingham Palace for the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
Barlow, Donald and Owen said: “This will be our first live show since the Odyssey Tour, four years ago in 2019, and what a stage to come back on.
“A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can’t wait.”
Katy Perry ‘excited’ to perform at the King’s Coronation concert
Perry is regarded as one of the biggest pop stars in the world having produced a string of number one albums.
She is also an ambassador for The British Asian Trust due to her commitment to other global charities including Unicef and her own Firework Foundation.
The charity was founded by the King when he was Prince of Wales.
Perry said: “I am excited to be performing at the Coronation Concert, and helping to shine a further light on the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund, whose work includes on-ground initiatives to fundraising, with the aim to find solutions to child trafficking.”
Lionel Richie to perform at ‘once-in-a-lifetime event’
Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe winner Richie has said it is an “honour” to celebrate the coronation.
He was also named the Prince’s Trust’s first global ambassador and is the chairman of the Global Ambassador Group.
He said: “To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honour and a celebration.”
Bocelli and Sir Bryn are set to perform a duet of an “iconic song of love and collective solidarity”.
Bocelli said it was a “great honour” to sing for the late Queen on several occasions and that it was another special moment to be asked to perform for the King.
North London singer Ridings plans to perform a duet with classical composer, producer and pianist Ffrench.
The Coronation Choir will also perform at the event with their performance being created with community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK.
The Virtual Choir, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth, will appear alongside them.
Lighting Up The Nation will be the centrepiece of the concert and it will see locations across the UK light up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.
Charlotte Moore, BBC chief content officer, said: “We are bringing the nation together for this once-in-a-generation occasion, broadcast exclusively across the BBC live from Windsor Castle.
“We have a world class line-up of performers to look forward to for what promises to be a very special night of celebration and entertainment.”
This concert is produced by BBC Studios Productions and it will be broadcast live from the grounds of Windsor Castle on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
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