| Commemoration concert byvarious artists | |
.jpg) Windsor Castle, venue for the concert | |
| Venue | Windsor Castle |
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| Date | 7 May 2023 (2023-05-07) |
| Duration | 124 minutes (televised programme)[1] |
| Producer | BBC Studios Events Productions |
| Attendance | 20,000 |
| Part ofa series of articles on the |
| Coronation of Charles III andCamilla |
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| Background |
| Events |
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TheCoronation Concert was a British music concert, held outsideWindsor Castle on 7 May 2023, in celebration of thecoronation ofKing Charles III andQueen Camilla. The concert, which was attended by 20,000 members of the public, took place between 20:30 and 22:04 (BST) and was hosted by actorHugh Bonneville.[2][3] ThePrince of Wales paid tribute to his father in a short speech.[4]
The "Coronation Concert" was held atWindsor Castle's East Lawn.[5][6] TheBBC produced, staged, and broadcast the event. A national ballot was held between 10 and 28 February to distribute 5,000 pairs of free tickets for the public based on the geographical spread of the UK population.[5][7] Volunteers from the King and Queen's charities were also among the audience.[5]
The event was broadcast in over 100 countries.[8] The stage enveloped the castle's parapet wall and featured multiple levels and four catwalks.[8] The overall shape resembled that of an abstractedUnion Jack.[8] A halo-like screen was placed above the main stage, enveloping the roof, which symbolisedthe Crown protecting the nation.[8]
It was reported that all the acts performed "for free". BBC studios provided a hair and make-up team, but those artists who wanted to bring their own had to fund them themselves. BothKaty Perry andLionel Richie were believed to have travelled to the UK by private jet.[9]
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The concert featured performances from artists including The Household Division Orchestra of the British Army conducted by Lt Col David Barringer MVO MBE,Katy Perry,Lionel Richie,Andrea Bocelli,Sir Bryn Terfel,Alexis Ffrench,Zak Abel,Take That featuringRobin Schulz andCalum Scott,Paloma Faith,Tiwa Savage,Steve Winwood,Lang Lang,Nicole Scherzinger,Olly Murs,Pete Tong, andSonam Kapoor.[10][11]
Tom Cruise,Dame Joan Collins,Winnie-the-Pooh,Piglet,Kermit the Frog,Miss Piggy,Sir Tom Jones,Hugh Jackman,Alan Titchmarsh,Richard E. Grant,Pierce Brosnan,Bear Grylls,Dynamo,Tracey Emin,Giovanna Fletcher, andOti Mabuse appeared in a series of pre-recorded sketches and segments.[11] In addition to performances by singers, musicians, and stage and screen actors, the show also featured the 300-voice "Coronation Choir", mentored byGareth Malone, composed of community choirs and amateur singers such as refugee choirs,NHS choirs,LGBTQ+ singing groups, and deafsigning choirs.[5][6][12]
The Royal Ballet,The Royal Opera, theRoyal Shakespeare Company, theRoyal College of Music and theRoyal College of Art also performed together with actorsNcuti Gatwa andMei Mac and ballet dancersFrancesca Hayward andMarcelino Sambé.[8][13]
Spoken word performances on the night were delivered by designerStella McCartney and actorJames Nesbitt, the latter reading a spoken word piece written for the occasion byDaljit Nagra, Chair of theRoyal Society of Literature.[14]
Freya Ridings pulled out of the concert due to illness and was replaced by Zak Abel.[15]
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During the performance of theSimple Minds song "Don't You (Forget About Me)", by Alexis Ffrench and Zak Abel, colourfuldrone displays took place above the stage at Windsor and at other venues across the country. The drones formed together to create different animals and moments in nature, including ablue whale, abumblebee, abutterfly, aheron and arabbit.[16]
The concert performances, in order, were:
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Overnight viewing figures indicated the concert had an average audience of 10.1 million, peaking at 12.3 million.[21]