Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Chumbawamba, Cerys Matthews, Ska Cubano and Congolese evergreen Kanda Bongo Man top the bill on this year's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 stage at WOMAD, the UK's premier festival celebrating world music.

WOMAD will be celebrating the life of Charlie Gillett, the Radio 3 presenter and world music aficionado who sadly passed away earlier this year, by renaming the Saddlespan stage The Charlie Gillett Stage in his memory.

The presenter, best known for discovering Dire Straits and championing world music stars like Youssou N'Dour and Salif Keita, died in March after a long illness.

Peter Gabriel, founder of Genesis and WOMAD, says: "Charlie Gillett was such a benign godfather to so many artists who have fallen under the name of world music, as their first home on the radio, their record label and most of all, their champion. Bumping into Charlie was always one of my regular delights at WOMAD. There are many artists around the world who owe a good slice of their income to Charlie's enthusiasms. His generous and good nature, fired by his passion, was a beacon of light in the music world. For that reason, the Saddlespan stage, between the Open Air Stage and the Big Red Tent at Charlton Park, will be called the Charlie Gillett stage."

This is the tenth year Radio 3 has supported WOMAD as the exclusive national broadcaster of the festival. Radio 3 is committed to world music all year round and is the only radio station in the world that preserves endangered music traditions by travelling across the globe to record them.

Radio 3's dedicated world music programmes, World Routes and World On 3 provides an extensive mix of live music, interviews, on-location recordings and exclusive sessions. World music also features on Radio 3's Late Junction.

Also appearing on the Radio 3 stage is the young London-based Iraqi oud player Khyam Allami, who is the first recipient of Radio 3's World Routes Academy scholarship, a new scheme which aims to support and inspire young world-music artists by bringing them together with an internationally renowned figure in the same field.

Roger Short, Producer of Radio 3 at WOMAD, says: "Radio 3 is proud of its commitment to broadcasting live and recording from WOMAD. We are delighted that such a mix of new and established artists will be appearing on our stage this year.

We are especially moved by WOMAD's decision to honour Charlie at this year's festival. As one of the most passionate supporters of world music who inspired countless listeners with his knowledge and passion, Charlie would have been thrilled to be recognised in this way."

Each day of the festival Radio 3 presents live performances at 11pm starting on Friday with a special live edition of Radio 3's World On 3.

Radio 3's weekend of broadcasts also has live relays and recorded highlights of the main stage artists.

Radio 3's stage full line up:

Friday 23rd July 2010
2-3pm: Rafiki Jazz
4-5pm: Farmers Market
6-7pm: Safroman
8.15-9.30pm: Chumbawamba
11pm-12midnight: Ska Cubano: broadcast live on Radio 3

Saturday 24 July 2010
12noon-1pm: Geata Krar Collective
3-4pm: Rizwan Muazzam Qawaali: broadcast live on Radio 3
5.30-6.45pm: Lepisto&Lehti
8.15-9.30pm: Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra
11pm-12midnight: Cerys Matthews: broadcast live on Radio 3

Sunday 25 July 2010
1-2.15pm: Khyam Allami and Andrea Piccioni: broadcast live on Radio 3
4-5pm: Dobet GnahorΓ©
6.15-7.15pm: Soumik Datta
8.30-9.30pm: Anxo Lorenzo
11pm-12midnight: Kanda Bongo Man: broadcast live on Radio 3

The weekend's live broadcasts are presented by Radio 3's World Music presenters Lucy Duran, Andrew McGregor and Lopa Kothari, with more highlights broadcast with Fiona Talkington on Late Junction on 27, 28 and 29 July at 11.15pm.

Radio 3 has launched the World Music Archive, the most comprehensive guide to world music across the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. The archive contains stories from on-location, photo galleries and world music guides.

More than 70 artists from around the world are confirmed to appear at WOMAD including Gil Scott-Heron (US), Staff Benda Bilili (Congo), Rolf Harris (Australia/UK) and Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UK).

Zoo For You will open the new Charlie Gillett stage at WOMAD this year. Introduced by Charlie Gillett to Paula Henderson, Artist Programmer at WOMAD, the 8-piece from Canterbury plays an eclectic fusion of world music that includes West African funk, Jewish klezma and American hip-hop.

Paula Henderson says: "It is fantastic that Zoo For You are available to launch the music on The Charlie Gillett Stage – the group were introduced to me by a very enthusiastic Charlie in 2009. In that introduction he said to them 'what you are doing is exceptional among UK bands, being both rhythmically original and lyrically distinctive'. It only seemed right to bring a new band to WOMAD that I would never have heard about had it not been for Charlie."

WOMAD is held at Charlton Park in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, from 23 to 25 July 2010. See www.womad.org.

Notes to Editors

Radio 3 is a media partner of WOMAD UK 2010. Radio 3 broadcasts classical music, jazz, world music, arts programmes and drama. Last year Radio 3 broadcast over 600 complete concerts and operas from venues and festivals across the UK and beyond. Radio 3 is the home of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Proms and broadcasts every concert live. It supports composers, writers and new young performers and last year broadcast over 40 new drama productions.

KS4