King’s coronation: Culture takes centre stage

With the coronation of King Charles III only a couple of days away, the UK’s arts and culture sector is set to play a prominent role in proceedings that will be watched across the globe.

The first coronation of a British monarch in nearly 70 years will see thousands of musicians take part in official services throughout the weekend, with arts and culture organisations across the country set to mark the occasion by hosting viewing parties and participatory opportunities to celebrate.

The arts have already played a role in the run-up to proceedings, with Sir Jony Ive, Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, designing the emblem used to promote the weekend’s events, alongside his creative collective LoveFrom. As is tradition, music will play a prominent part in the weekend’s formal proceedings, including the coronation of the King on Saturday (6 May).

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According to a statement released by the Palace, King Charles, referred to as “a life-long music enthusiast and champion of the arts”, was personally involved in the commissioning process and detail of the music programme for Saturday’s coronation.

At the King’s request, a Coronation Orchestra has been compiled consisting of players from eight leading orchestras from the UK and Canada for which the King acted as patron when he was Prince of Wales. The ensemble will be conducted by Music Director of the Royal Opera House Sir Antonio Pappano.

A total of 12 new compositions have been written for the ceremony, six of them composed for orchestra. They will be performed before the service, with five choral commissions in the main service, alongside one organ commission.

The service, to be held at Westminster Abbey, will feature the first Welsh language performance at a coronation, the first gospel choir at a coronation and a new Coronation Anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Saturday’s music service will be directed by Andrew Nethsingha, who said the choice of music “reflects the cultural breadth of the age in which we live”.

Coronation Concert

Meanwhile, a Coronation Concert will be hosted in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday (7 May).

The King will be in attendance, alongside a 20,000 strong audience, for the two-hour show to be broadcast to 100 countries.

The concert will feature an array of musical performances from internationally-acclaimed singers Lionel Richie and Katy Perry to a 74-piece orchestra made up of the Massed Bands of the Housing Division and the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra.

A combined performance from the Royal College of Art, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal College of Music is also scheduled.

The ensemble will combine music, dance, art and theatre in a piece based around the theme of love and togetherness, to be performed against a backdrop of artworks by students from the Royal College of Art projected onto Windsor Castle.

Recreational singers will also take to the stage, including a Coronation Choir consisting of singers from refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf singing choirs, while a virtual choir made up of singers from across the Commonwealth will also feature.

Nationwide events

The government’s official event registry for the weekend lists over 600 events taking place nationwide centred on live music and entertainment.

Listings range from local street parties and local authority-run events to events hosted by leading arts institutions, such as the British Museum’s coronation party, open to the public on Sunday.

Charity English Heritage is hosting viewing parties at three major sites – Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire – with other heritage sites, such as Cardiff Castle, hosting their own celebrations.

Celebrations are set to continue across the Bank Holiday weekend, with events on Monday including a music celebration featuring 500 young musicians at Birmingham’s Midland Arts Centre Outdoor Theatre.