October 13, 2008

By By Hazel Davis, Manchester

Singapore-born British virtuoso violinist Vanessa Mae has joined up with digital satellite TV channel Sky Arts 2 to present a season about the U.K.'s most loved classical music.

"Vanessa Mae's Classical Top Ten" will feature the most popular pieces of music as chosen by a public vote. Voting began on Aug. 5 at www.skyarts.co.uk and finished on Aug. 14; the result has already been announced.

Sky Arts 2 is the spin-off of the original channel dedicated to all areas of the arts and will launch Oct. 20, focusing on the classical arts. The series, which transmits on Oct. 21 at 8pm and runs weekly until December, follows Lesley Garrett?s "20 Operas To See Before You Die" last year.

Mae will introduce the music and offer personal anecdotes before a full archive performance of each piece. The shows will count down the public's choice with the most popular, Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," closing the series on Dec 23.

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