Look To The Stars News: Luciano Pavarotti

Annie Lennox To Receive Freedom Of London Award

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Annie Lennox is set to receive the Freedom of the City of London at a ceremony taking place at the City of London’s Guildhall on Tuesday 1 December.

The singer was nominated by the British Red Cross International Fundraising Committee, in recognition of her fundraising and humanitarian work.

The presentation will take place in the Basinghall Suite at Guildhall and followed by a star-studded gala dinner and musical ‘Tribute to Annie Lennox’, in the Livery Hall. La Roux, Little Boots and the Music for Life African Children’s Choir will be among the performers. Stephen Fry will be the host for evening and Brian Eno will give a speech.

“The British Red Cross is delighted that on 1 December, World Aids Day, Annie Lennox is being recognised with the Freedom of the City of London,” said Maria Shammas MBE, Chairman of the British Red Cross International Fundraising Committee. “We greatly value her support and her commitment to humanitarian work, which over the years has been remarkable.”

The Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies in existence today; the first Freedom is thought to have been presented in 1237. Previous famous recipients include The Queen, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, Luciano Pavarotti, Florence Nightingale and Winston Churchill.

""I first came to London 1971, as a virtually penniless music student , existing on £3 a week," said Lennox. "I’ve lived all over the place and travelled to almost every corner of the globe. For years my suitcase has been half packed, either to leave or because I’ve just arrived home. And the curious thing about the city is that no matter how many years I’ve spent coming and going, I still feel as if there’s so much more to discover.

“As a humanitarian I have long been an admirer of the amazing work of the British Red Cross to tackle HIV across the world and am amazed and honoured to have been acknowledged in this way.”

The gala dinner will take place in the Livery Hall, Guildhall. Guests will arrive from 700pm for a reception, before performances and dinner to start at 7:30pm.

José Carreras To Perform Benefit Concert Down Under

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

World renown opera singer Jose Carreras will perform a one-off charity concert in New Zealand next month.

The singer will perform at Elephant Hill Estate & Winery located in Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay, in the North Island of the country to benefit the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation, New Zealand’s leading resource of information specifically for patients, family members and friends affected by leukaemia and related blood conditions.

Gifted with a beautiful voice, José Carreras is considered one of the world’s greatest tenors and opera singers of his generation. With a phenomenal international performance career spanning over three decades and including recognition as one of the famous Three Tenors with Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras continues to mesmerize audiences with his sublime tenor voice.

Carreras is a survivor of Leukaemia himself, and set up the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation after recovering from the disease in 1987.

The singer also recently contributed to a recipe book created to raise funds for the Treetops Hospice in England. Along with comedian Jo Brand and several other celebrities, Carreras donated a recipe to “Helen’s Book”, which was written in memory of professional opera singer and enthusiastic amateur cook Helen Beechinor of Derbyshire, who died of Breast Cancer last year.

Proceeds from the book will go towards a new centre so that it can double the number of people the hospice helps.

Helen’s Book costs £7.99 and is available at Waterstone’s bookstores in the UK.

Tickets to the benefit concert in New Zealand – which takes place on January 31 – are available here.

A Big Concert For A Big Man With A Big Heart

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A charity concert honoring Luciano Pavarotti took place at the site of the ancient Jordanian city of Petra on Sunday night.

The show – which featured many of Pavarotti’s friends from across the music industry, including Sting, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Griminelli, Cynthia Lawrence, and Roberto Alagna – raised money for projects in Afghanistan run by the UN Refugee Relief Agency and the World Food Program, as well as for the Petra archaeological site 180km south of Amman where the concert took place.

Organized by Nicoletta Mantovani – Pavarotti’s widow – with the support of HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace, the concert was attended by 500 guests, including Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah.

Pavarotti actively supported UNHCR projects in Kosovo, Pakistan, Zambia, and Iraq before his death. For his continuous commitment to refugee causes, he received UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award and was named a UN Messenger of Peace.

Pavarotti To Be Honored With Charity Concert

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is to be honored at a tribute charity concert in Petra, Jordan, a year after his death.

Proceeds from the concert – to be held on October 12 – will go towards projects in Afghanistan by the UN Refugee Relief Agency and the World Food Program, as well as to the Petra archaeological site 180km south of Amman where the concert will take place.

The audience – limited to about 500 people – will be entertained by many of Pavarotti’s friends from across the music industry, including Sting, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Griminelli, Cynthia Lawrence, and Roberto Alagna. The event is being organised by Nicoletta Mantovani – Pavarotti’s widow – with the support of HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace.

“This is an event born of the desire of everybody to remember Luciano, with songs dedicated to him or ones that he had sung,” said Mantovani.

Look To The Stars News: Luciano Pavarotti

Annie Lennox To Receive Freedom Of London Award

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