AUSTRALIA NETWORK PRESENTS JAI HO!
Saturday 16 January

A spectacular performance by the awardwinning composer of the Slumdog Millionaire film score.

Australia Network is proud to present the exclusive direct broadcast of a concert for Sydney Festival 2010 by internationally renowned music composer AR Rahman.

On the same night that he performs his only Australian concert, Australia Network brings AR Rahman’s unique outdoor extravaganza to the small screen for fans from Fiji to Delhi to enjoy. Dubbed the ‘Mozart of Madras’ by Time magazine, Rahman is best-known globally for his two-time Oscar winning score for the film Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman’s sole Australian performance will be held on Saturday 16 January in the beautiful parkland of Parramatta Park, Sydney. Australia Network will broadcast the entire event to 44 countries. Rahman will perform with an entourage of more than 40 Indian musicians and Bollywood dancers on stage, as well as high-impact lighting displays, choreographed moving video screens and audience interaction.

The AR Rahman concert is a free event made possible by the generous support of the NSW Government. It promises to be a night filled with colour, dancing and the irrepressible rhythms and melodies of contemporary Indian music.

Australia Network Chief Executive Bruce Dover says: "The concert and broadcast celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and provides a musical bridge between Australia and the region".

The concert will be co-hosted by Australian cricketing legend, Matthew Hayden and ABC presenter Miriam Corowa.

"I am honoured and thrilled to be a part of AR Rahman’s unique outdoor extravaganza and the Sydney Festival," sya Hayden. "Rahman was born in Chennai, a city that I have come to love and a part of India that is very special to me for many reasons. I am excited that many Australians will be able enjoy what millions of people around the world have come to love and appreciate, the incredible ‘Mozart of Madras and the amazing Indian musicians and Bollywood Dancers."

Join Australia Network for this exclusive AR Rahman concert on Saturday 16 January, screening at 5:30pm in Singapore.

www.australianetwork.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About AR Rahman
Born in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1966, AR Rahman won a scholarship to Trinity College of Music in the UK and graduated with a degree in Western classical music. He is one of the world’s all-time top-selling recording artists, with worldwide CD sales of his film scores and soundtracks exceeding 100 million.
Rahman obtained global attention when he won two Academy Awards for his score for Slumdog Millionaire. He also became the first Indian artist to win a Golden Globe for 'Best Original Score' and has also won 13 Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards and a BAFTA Award. The single, ‘Jai Ho’ (meaning ‘victory to you’) reached 8th position on Billboard’s 'Top Digital Track' chart.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Sydney Festival
Since 1977, Sydney Festival has guaranteed Sydney as the place to be each January. A celebration of summer, the festival is a natural promotion of the city - both are synonymous with energy, style, spectacle and sophistication. For three weeks the festival fills venues across the city with theatre, music, dance, film and talks, attracting one million enthusiastic patrons and travellers.