Madonna, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Zoe Saldana, Gloria Steinem, Gordon And Sarah Brown, Aishwarya Rai And Abhishek Bachchan And Others Confirmed To Present At THE SOUND OF CHANGE LIVE Concert

LONDON, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- It was announced today that Madonna, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Gordon and Sarah Brown, Jessica Chastain, Gloria Steinem, Freida Pinto, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, Leymah Gbowee, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Mpho Tutu, Humaira Bachal and Zoe Saldana have confirmed their participation as presenters in 'THE SOUND OF CHANGE LIVE' concert event, presented by CHIME FOR CHANGE: recently founded by Gucci, which campaigns for improved Education, Health and Justice for women and girls worldwide. The four-hour concert, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 1 June, is supported by an impressive line-up of some of the world's most talented artists and internationally renowned presenters, lending their voices to CHIME FOR CHANGE.

The confirmed line-up is:
Aishwarya Rai   * Abhishek Bachchan * Archbishop Desmond Tutu * Beyonce * Blake Lively *   Ellie Goulding * Florence + the Machine * Freida Pinto * Gloria Steinem * Gordon and Sarah Brown * HAIM * Humaira Bachal * Iggy Azalea * Jada Pinkett Smith * James Franco * Jennifer Lopez * Jessica Chastain * John Legend * Laura Pausini * Leymah Gbowee * Madonna * Mpho Tutu *  Rita Ora * Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy *  Timbaland * Zoe Saldana *

Beyonce Knowles-Carter, concert artistic director and CHIME FOR CHANGE co-founder, who will perform a 45 minute special set, said: "I am really happy that so many amazing artists and presenters have come together to support CHIME FOR CHANGE on 1 June.  Our goal is to have a great time together while we unite and strengthen the voices of girls and women around the world."

Madonna, founder of the Ray of Light Foundation, said: "60 percent of the children in the world NOT in school are girls! 2/3 of the world's illiterate are WOMEN! I DO NOT accept this. We need to change this and we WILL CHANGE THIS!"

Legendary UK promoter, Harvey Goldsmith, responsible for the world's biggest global charity concerts, such as Live Aid and Live 8, will produce the four-hour concert alongside Executive Producers Kevin Wall and Aaron Grosky from Control Room (Live Earth, Live 8, FIFA World Cup Kick Off) who have worked with Harvey on many of these great events.  In a world first, every ticket buyer will be able to personally choose which project the money from his or her ticket will fund. Gucci is underwriting the concert event so that all ticket sales (less VAT and service fees) will support selected projects. A sell-out concert is guaranteed to fund at least 120 projects supporting girls and women in more than 70 countries from ticket sales alone. Viewers around the world will also have the opportunity to lend their support by donating online at chimeforchange.org and fb.com/chimeforchange, and through a mobile text-to-give campaign.  Partner organizations include UNICEF, UN Women, The Global Fund for Women, GEMS, Plan International, Vital Voices, CAST, Equality Now, Doctors of the World, Girl Up, PATH, KIND, Pro Mujer, and Women Deliver, to name a few.

Harvey Goldsmith: "We are thrilled that these amazing people are giving their time and support. The stature of our artists and presenters proves just how important this campaign is and we hope that the concert will galvanise the public to support the many important projects."

Frida Giannini, Creative Director of Gucci and CHIME FOR CHANGE Co-Founder, said:  "Thanks to Beyonce and the amazing line-up of performers and presenters, the stage at Twickenham on 1 June will be filled with powerful voices of change who believe that girls and women everywhere deserve the right to be educated, healthy, safe and celebrated. This represents an important moment in the CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign, but it's only the beginning. The funds we raise will have a major impact on the lives of thousands of girls and women around the world." 

The concert will start at 6.00pm and finish at 10:00pm and each artist will perform special sets with some exciting collaborations expected.  Throughout the concert short films will be shown highlighting issues such as: 60% of children not in school are girls, 800 women die daily in pregnancy or childbirth - most of whom would live with access to proper care, and despite gains, just 21% of seats in national parliaments are held by women

Tickets for the concert are available from:
www.chimeforchange.org
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 844-847 1693

To stay informed, visit www.chimeforchange.org and join our community on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chimeforchange.

To download the imagery, logos, biographies and the press pack for the CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign please click http://www.chimeforchange.org/

To access B-roll footage from the Concert Announcement please go to:
https://mediaserver2.specialtreats.co.uk:443/cgi-bin/filemanager/ 
Username: GUCCI_SCREENING 2013
Password: gUcc15cR33n

THE SOUND OF CHANGE LIVE Performers
Visit www.chimeforchange.org/soundofchange  for upcoming announcements about new performers

For further information about the concert contact:
[email protected]
Tel: 424-901-8712

For media accreditation and ticketing for THE SOUND OF CHANGE LIVE, please contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
+44 (0) 20 3003 6300

For information about the CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign please contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
+44 (0) 20 3003 6300

CHIME FOR CHANGE Founding Committee
Frida Giannini, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Salma Hayek Pinault.

GUCCI

Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world's leading luxury fashion brands. Alongside the values of quality, creativity and Italian artisanal craftsmanship, for which the brand is renowned, Gucci also believes in the importance of a responsible attitude towards people, the environment and the communities in which it operates. Corporate citizenship is a fundamental part of the mission and operating philosophy of the company. For more information about Gucci, please visit www.gucci.com

The Kering Foundation*

The Kering Foundation combats violence against women and promotes their empowerment. Launched in January 2009, the Foundation supports community-based projects and encourages employee involvement to sustain women's causes around the world. Through four programmes, it supports local and international NGOs as well as social entrepreneurs, helps raise awareness and establishes joint projects with the Kering brands. In 2012, more than 80,000 women benefited from its support in 16 countries. *In line with PPR's change of name, the PPR Corporate Foundation for Women's Dignity and Rights will become the Kering Corporate Foundation, subject to approval at the Foundation's board meeting on 26 June 2013. www.keringfoundation.org @KeringForWomen

Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Catapult

Catapult is the first crowd-funding platform solely dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women around the world. Catapult connects trusted organizations with a new global audience to increase funds and engagement. Organizations can post projects online, and donors can browse and fund the issues that speak to them most. Every dollar donated goes to the organization and donors receive reports about the project's progress. Catapult beta-launched on October 11, 2012, with the support of notable partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund for Women and the United Nations Population Fund.For more information go to www.catapult.org, and follow Catapult on Twitter: @wecatapult and Facebook at facebook.com/catapult.org. Catapult is a project of WOMEN DELIVER, a 501c(3) organization. Invest in girls and women. It pays!

Hearst Magazines

Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation, one of the nation's largest diversified communications companies. Hearst Magazines is the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. (ABC 2012), reaching 83 million adults (Fall 2012 MRI) with its 20 titles. In addition the company published more than 300 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines Digital Media, dedicated to creating and implementing Hearst Magazines' digital strategy, has more than 28 websites and 14 mobiles sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen, as well as digital only sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; MisQuinceMag.com; and RealBeauty.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 apps and digital editions. In addition, the company includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.

SOURCE Gucci