The BBC have announced that the Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal College of Music and The Royal College of Art will come together for the first time ever at the Coronation Concert on May 7.
The Royal Shakespeare Company will perform excerpts from a Shakespeare play, while the Royal Opera Chorus will perform a classic song from West Side Story. Not to be outdone, principal dancers with The Royal Ballet, Francesca Hayward and Marcelino Sambé, will also perform a bespoke piece of choreography for the occasion.
The visual backdrop projected on to Windsor Castle and the stage will showcase artworks by students from The Royal College of Art.
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Alongside the other performers, a string quartet of four Royal College of Music students will perform as soloists: Katherine Yoon and Betania Johnny on violin, Declan Wicks on viola and Marion Portelance on cello, who will be playing a cello once owned and played by His Majesty, now in the collection of The Royal College of Music.
The concert will be hosted by actor Hugh Bonneville, who has starred in numerous popular TV series and films including Downton Abbey, The Gold, Twenty Twelve, W1A, Notting Hill and the Paddington films. Hugh will set the scene for the evening’s entertainment as the artists prepare for their performances and introduce them as they take to the stage.
He said, "I’m delighted to be taking part in this unique event, celebrating the best of musical entertainment in honour of His Majesty’s coronation. In true British style, come rain or shine it will be a night to remember."
Main image: windsor Castle © Thomas Duesing, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons