The British singer-songwriter set to meet and greet fans ahead his concert With only days to go until the Sami Yusuf concert at Katara’s Amphitheatre, the countdown has began. Sami Yusuf, today, arrived at Katara’s Cultural Village ahead of the concert which is set to take place on Thursday 6th December at 8:00pm at the Amphitheatre. In preparation for his upcoming concert; Sami Yusuf announced the official launch of his new album in Qatar. The launch which will be celebrated by an album signing and a meet and greet with fans. The signing will take place at Virgin Megastores, Villagio on Friday 30th November at 7:00pm. In addition to the signing, local talented singers and instrumentalists have been given the opportunity to perform during the concert. Katara will host auditions on Saturday, 1st December 2012 and registration starts from 10.00am till 11.00am at the Drama Theatre Building 16, Katara. Applicants of any age can apply online at http://www.katara.net/english/perform-with-sami- yusuf. Those interested must be able to perform one of Sami Yusuf's songs, either vocally or by playing an instrument. Limited places are available for the auditions but all successful applicants will receive free tickets to the concert. Winners will be announced the following day of the auditions. Mr. Darwish Ahmed, Acting Director of Cultural Affairs, Katara said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Sami Yusuf’s team to showcase his music at this truly remarkable venue which provides the perfect stage for a spectacular experience. Yusuf has worked effortlessly to make spiritual music relevant to youth across the globe and we are excited to host him at Katara. He continued, “Katara continues to build cultural bridges by providing a platform for aspiring artists and world class performers, which contributes to the overall mission to educate and entertain.” Recently, Sami Yusuf was invited to become the first Global Ambassador for Silatech, a Qatar-based initiative promoting entrepreneurial skills and open access to capital and markets for large-scale job creation in the MENA region. Ahmed Salim, Producer and Director of ETM International, the record label that represents Sami Yusuf, said: “An open air show of this magnitude has never been held in the GCC before, and we are certain that fans will enjoy a unique experience. Sami Yusuf’s message of peace and love is universal and we hope it will inspire a new generation of artists. Collaborating with Katara on this occasion was a natural decision, as this contributes to our mission to promote talented youth and we are honoured to contribute to Katara’s vision of providing a platform to showcase local talents. “We look forward to meeting Sami Yusuf fans and seeing Qatar’s talented performers at the auditions on Saturday.” he added. Tickets are available at the Virgin Megastore during store operating hours (from 9:30am – 10:30pm) at Landmark and Villagio. They can also be purchased online at www.virginmegastore.me. ILQ NEWS

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