"Pavarotti Canta Verdi" raises US$220 000 for TeleFood fund

The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco was sold out on 12 October, as opera stars contributed their talents to FAO's fight against hunger. Luciano Pavarotti's well-known voice and the talents of tenor Marcelo Alvarez, sopranos Fiorenza Cedolins and Susan Patterson, bass Francesco Ellero D'Artegna, baritone Bruno Caproni, and mezzo soprano Elena Zaremba attracted 1 800 opera lovers, all in the name of FAO's TeleFood campaign against hunger. The singers were accompanied by the Montecarlo Opera Chorus as well as the Italian Symphony Orchestra directed by Leone Magiera.

Pavarotti, who was celebrating his 67th birthday, performed a selection of Verdi's arias, including "Brindisi", from "La Traviata" and "La donna è mobile". In return the audience gave him a standing ovation and sang him "Happy Birthday".

Princes Ranieri and Albert of Monaco, President of the Republic of Slovakia Rudolf Schuster and FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf were among those present.

"We are delighted the concert was such a success and are grateful to Maestro Pavarotti, the Monaco authorities and Prince Albert, patron of the event," said Kay Killingsworth, executive coordinator of TeleFood. "The concert was sold out, and thanks to the logistical and financial support provided by our partners, every penny of the ticket proceeds will be ploughed directly into small-scale projects to improve the lives of some of the world's neediest communities."

Mr Pavarotti, nominated UN Peace Messenger by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1998, actively supports the work of several United Nations agencies and has staged many charity concerts around the world.

The concert raised US$220 000 for the TeleFood fund, and donations from individuals are still coming in.

On 15 November 2003 RAI2 transmitted the concert in Italy, and throughout 2003 more than 55 other television channels around the world broadcast the event as well.