Israeli President Shimon Peres will be Wednesday evening among movie stars, singers and politicians from around the world at a charity gala event at the Royal Albert Hall in London in honor of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev who celebrated his 80th birthday this month.
Gorbachev specifically requested that Peres represent Israel at the event.
The event is aimed at raising millions of dollars for cancer charities, including The Raisa Foundation, named in honour of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner's late wife.
President Peres, along with former President Gorbachev and Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, will present an Innovation Award.
Movie stars, singers and politicians will turn out on Wednesday for a gala concert in London to honour former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this month.
US actors Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone are acting as hosts for the evening and planners say it will bring together the greatest artists from East and West, who will perform unique duets on the Royal Albert Hall stage to honour Gorbachev's achievements.
Singers will include Bryan Ferry, Shirley Bassey and Katherine Jenkins.
They will share the stage with internationally acclaimed Russian baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky, rock stars Andrey Makarevich and Mashina Vremeni and the Turetsky Choir, a choir founded by conductor Michael Turetsky from the Moscow Central Synagogue.The artists will "celebrate the seven stages of Gorbachev's life" including his childhood, rise to high office, the reforms of Perestroika and his international peace efforts, which ultimately led to the collapse of communism and his Nobel Peace Prize award.
"Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the few people who can justify the label 'The man who changed the world'," said the Royal Albert Hall on its website advertising the charity event at the prestigious venue in central London.
Hollywood action hero and ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former British Prime minister John Major and
Earl Charles Spencer, brother of Diana, princess of Wales, were all to attend.
The eclectic guest list also includes England football manager Fabio Capello, plus actresses Goldie Hawn and Milla Jovovich.
Shimon Peres, who is on a two-day visit to Britain, is also due to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron. On Monday he addressed an event marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Britain which will take place at Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs.