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Former BBC Breakfast star Owain Wyn Evans has been announced as the host for a huge Eurovision Song Contest musical celebration.
The weatherman recently joined BBC Radio 2's Early Breakfast Show, but he's a busy man as he's also set to take on a new role hosting a high-anticipated one-off concert ahead of the Eurovision grand final in May.
Owain will present Douze Points: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra plays your favourite Eurovision hits at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall on May 12, 2023 – a musical extravaganza that features the biggest hits from the competition's history.
READ MORE: Eurovision 'first' set to come to UK as festival to mark celebrations confirmed
The broadcaster, who raised more than £3m for BBC Children In Need with a 24-hour drumathon, will be joined by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
He will also appear with vocalists Annie Skates, Kate Graham, Steve Trowell and Andrew Playfoot, who will perform songs including Rise Like a Phoenix, Diva, Waterloo and Making Your Mind Up as part of the concert.
Excitement is already building for the Douze Points concert, with Visit Liverpool's official Twitter page sharing the news, saying: "Celebrate Douze Points at @liverpoolphil for #Eurovision!
"The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are bringing orchestral versions of iconic Eurovision songs to the stage on 12 May and it's all hosted by @OwainWynEvans!"
It is just one of the events that has been announced by Culture Liverpool and Liverpool Council, as the city prepares to host the song contest on behalf of Ukraine.
Ukraine's act Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest with their track Stefania, with hosting duties usually passed down to the winning country.
However, with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, it was decided that the UK would host instead after Spaceman singer Sam Ryder placed second.
Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest grand-final, which takes place at M&S Bank Arena on May 13, 2023, a calendar of events called EuroFestival has been announced in the two weeks leading up to the competition.
EuroFestival is a first for any host city in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest and will present 24 commissions – 19 of which are collaborative projects between UK and Ukrainian artists – to showcase the uniting power of music and art.
The full list of commissions was announced at a special launch event at the British Music Experience on March 28.
Speaking to Daily Star and other press at the launch of EuroFestival, Mayor Joanne Anderson said: "This Eurovision is for everyone. It's accessible, it's joyous, though-provoking, colourful, community led, inclusive and free for all, but most importantly, it's a celebration of unity.
"The golden thread across the whole programme is of course, Ukraine. This is embodied in 19 of our 24 commissions. I'm really looking forward to our city not just being a playground for Eurovision, but for us learning and understanding what is happening in Ukraine.
"Our hope is that all communities of all ages, from primary schools to care homes, will get involved. We want this for everybody and to become inspired by the programme, which celebrates the power of music, national identity and the country of Ukraine."
EuroFestival will be held across the city between May 1 to 14, 2023.
Further events are to be held across the city too, including the Douze Points concert hosted by Owain Wyn Evans and a new theatre production written by Coronation Street's Jonathan Harvey called A Thong For Europe, which will be staged at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre between April 21 to May 27.
Fans will also have the chance to attend a huge concert called The National Lottery's Big Eurovision Welcome at St George's Hall on May 7, with 15,000 pairs of tickets being made available for free (subject to a small booking fee) to anyone who is a National Lottery player.
Speaking to Daily Star and other press at the EuroFestival launch, National Lottery representatives said the concert will "be celebrating Liverpool's incredible musicality, unique humour and famously warm welcome, which we've already experienced here today, as well as the partnership between Liverpool, Ukraine and Eurovision."
They also teased huge names to appear as part of the concert, adding: "Whilst a lot of the content is remaining a very closely guarded secret, the audience can expect some stunning production and staging and some star studded performances and collaborations."
To find out more about the events taking place in Liverpool as part of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, please visit the Culture Liverpool website.
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