South African opera singer Pretty Yende has been chosen to perform alongside a stellar lineup of artists at the coronation of King Charles III in May.
Buckingham Palace has shared details for the ceremony of Charles, as well as Camilla, to take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May.
Their official press statement said: “A range of musical styles and performers blend tradition, heritage and ceremony with new musical voices of today, reflecting the King’s life-long love and support of music and the arts.”
Musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been commissioned to create a new Coronation Anthem.
The official royal harpist, Alis Huws, will also perform with the orchestra, which the Palace said was “in recognition of The King’s long-standing and deeply held relationship and affiliation with Wales.”
Soloists will include, in addition to Yende, bass-baritone, Sir Bryn Terfel; baritone, Roderick Williams. The Choirs of Westminster Abbey, the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, Methodist College Belfast, Truro Cathedral, Westminster School, the Monteverdi Choir, and English Baroque Soloists will sing. Fanfares will be played by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry and the Fanfare Trumpeters of the Royal Air Force.
Yende took to social media to express her delight at having been handpicked to perform saying: “It’s hard to put into words how honored and blessed I feel to receive an invitation to perform at The Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6th of May 2023".
???? It’s hard to put into words how honored and blessed I feel to receive an invitation to perform at The Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6th of May 2023.
— Pretty Yende (@PrettyYende) February 19, 2023
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????: @gregorhohenberg#Coronation2023 pic.twitter.com/wSDoFtSi6U
The Palace has not yet announced what time the Coronation will start on May 6 or how long it will last , but it will be a three-day affair filled with pageantry, musical performances, street parties, drone displays, and illuminations.
