Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That lead coronation concert line up
By Max Foster and Issy Ronald, CNN
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That will headline the coronation concert on May 7 as part of the celebrations marking the coronation of King Charles III, broadcaster and organizer BBC announced Friday.
Held in the grounds of Windsor Castle a day after the official coronation ceremony, the concert will also feature international opera star Andrea Bocelli dueting with Grammy-winner Bryn Terfel as well as singer-songwriter Freya Ridings performing alongside classical composer and pianist Alexis Ffrench.
In addition to the famous faces, a diverse group known as The Coronation Choir, composed of community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK, will also perform.
Acts will sing in front of 20,000 people, with millions more expected to tune in from home.
“To share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration,” Richie said in a statement.
Well-known locations across the country will also be lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations as the centerpiece of the concert.
“The concert will celebrate a new chapter in the nation’s history, with themes of love, respect and optimism, celebrating the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth,” the BBC said in a statement.
Spoken word and dance performances will also feature in the lineup.
The concert will form part of the three days of celebrations held across the country in which the public will be invited to participate, and as May draws nearer, the palace has announced more details of the historic occasion.
It confirmed on Wednesday that Prince Harry will attend his father’s coronation but his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will remain in the United States with the couple’s children, following widespread speculation whether the Sussexes would travel to the United Kingdom for the event.
Meanwhile, the palace recently revealed the intricate design of the invitation sent to the 2,000 guests who will attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey as well as details of the processional routes, carriages, coronation regalia and even a new emoji.
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