Entertainment
Coronation Concert: Star-studded line-up announced for Windsor Castle event
Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are among musical acts on the “world class” line-up for the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, it has been announced.
Take That‘s performance will feature three of the original members – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.
However Robbie Williams and Jason Orange have been given the opportunity to re-join for a one-off reunion.
The event, hosted by the BBC, will also include performances by Italian opera star, Andrea Bocelli; Welsh bass-baritone Sir Brun Terfel; singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer, Alexis Ffrench.
Read more: The ultimate guide to the King’s coronation – how to watch, timings and procession route
More Coronation Concert acts are expected to be announced soon.
In a joint statement, Barlow, Donald and Owen said they “couldn’t wait” for the show, scheduled for Sunday, 7 May – the day after the King Charles III and Queen Camilla are officially crowned at Westminster Abbey.
“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.”
Take That – minus Robbie Williams and Jason Orange – will perform at the Coronation Concert
Perry pictured with the King in London in February 2020
Meanwhile Perry said she was “excited” to perform as well as “shine a light further” on The British Asian Trust, a charity founded by the King when he was the Prince of Wales, which works to tackle widespread poverty and hardship in South Asia.
The American singer-songwriter is an ambassador for the charity and has highlighted its work to raise funds to find solutions to child trafficking.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Richie said it was an “honour” to be part of the event.
The King meeting Lionel Richie in 2019
“To share the stage with other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honour and a celebration,” he said.
Bocelli – who has previously had the “great honour” of singing for the late Queen on several occasions – will perform a duet of an “iconic song of love and collective solidarity”.
Ridings, from north London, will take to the stage with Ffrench, also a producer and pianist.
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Guests prepare for King’s coronation
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The show will also include a performance from the Coronation Choir, made up of community groups and amateur singers from across the nation.
Different locations will be illuminated using projections, lasers and drone displays as part of the Lighting Up The Nation, described as the centerpiece of the concert.
The BBC’s chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, 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.”
The concert will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.