Cultural Olympiad to showcase musical talents

A number of music events are planned to run in the 12-week Cultural Olympiad counting down to the 2012 Olympic Games. The celebrations will see individuals take part in a range of activities from food, fashion, dance, pop and opera in London.
Over 1,000 events will make up the cultural celebration, which runs from June 21st until to September 9th 2012 and organisers claim that the overall aim is for over three million people to attend and be part of the Festival.
“From food to fashion, street dance to digital, pop to opera, the festival will offer a once in a lifetime chance to be inspired by the best in the world,” said Cultural Olympiad director Ruth Mackenzie.
The music programme includes a new work from Damon Albarn, his Gorillaz collaborator Jamie Hewlett and theatre director Rufus Norris, while the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh Festivals will also work in tandem with the London 2012 festivities.
River of Music, a series of concerts for over 500,000 people at landmark sites along the River Thames, will also take place over the course of the 12-week celebrations, with musicians from 205 countries set to perform.
“2012 will be a magical summer and the festival will play a huge part in ensuring everyone can be part of the greatest show on Earth,” said Lord Coe, London 2012 chair.
Elsewhere, highlights include major exhibitions by Hockney and Freud, a World Shakespeare Festival produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and an original short film devised by Mike Leigh.
Meanwhile, PRS for Music Foundation will announce on December 10th the 20 new works commissioned to feature centre stage at the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad for ‘New Music 20×12’.
Each piece lasts 12 minutes and together they offer a snapshot of the quality and diversity of new music in the UK.