On November 6th Yusuf will be accepting the Special Achievement trophy at the German Sustainability Awards.

The awards, established in 2008, recognise individuals and organisations that promote the principles of a sustainable society and are supported by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Yusuf will be presented with the award at a special ceremony in Dusseldorf. The previous winner of the award was Annie Lennox.

For more information on the awards and the organisation's work in the field of sustainability, click here.

This Saturday (October 31st) Yusuf will be performing at a charity gala dinner and auction for the Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) foundation, taking place at the new museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar.

The foundation focuses on community development projects in Asia, promoting global responsibility for basic, quality primary education - a subject very close to Yusuf's heart.

The auction - directed by Sotheby's - will see a unique selection of jewellery, paintings, hand crafted art and other collectibles, a super luxury car and a luxury apartment going under the hammer. Donors include Adler Jewellers and Amiri Gems, Cartier, Hermès, Sir Richard Branson, UDC, Lorenzo Quinn and Sacha Jafri.

The money raised will go towards ongoing projects across the continent.

This Friday Yusuf and the cast of Moonshadow will be heading to the Radio 2 studios to appear on the Ken Bruce show.

Zoe Ball is sitting in for Ken this week and Yusuf will be talking to her about the eagerly anticipated Moonshadow Musical.

The show airs from 9:30am-12pm, you can find out more details about it on the Radio 2 website.

You can listen to Radio 2 at 88-91FM, on digital radio and online.

After a long search, the producers of Moonshadow have discovered a talented and dynamic cast to play the tour version of Yusuf’s musical, which will be premiered during his forthcoming concerts.

Click here to read more...

The Moonshadow Musical is coming. In recent weeks Yusuf has been in the studio working on the Moonshadow concept album.

With 14 classic songs, the album will include such major hits as 'Wild World', 'Father & Son', 'If You Want To Sing Out' and many others.

The actor-singers featured on the recording are the same chosen to star in Yusuf's upcoming 'Guess I'll Take My Time' tour.

One special jewel of the sessions so far is a beautiful rearrangement of Yusuf's first big hit, 'Matthew & Son', sung by Moonshadow actor Ryan O'Donnell.

You may be hearing this as a single before the end of the year...

On Tuesday October 6th Yusuf will be visiting his old school, Hugh Myddleton in Clerkenwell, London, to open a new £2m redevelopment, which includes brand new music facilities.

On the day Yusuf will be interviewed by children from the school who are also planning to perform 'Morning Has Broken' for him.

Yusuf attended Hugh Myddleton in the '60s, when it was a secondary school (it is now a primary school). He left with one O-level in art.

Says Yusuf:

"Those days when I was going to that school, there was a great revolution in music, I was listening to Radio Caroline, the pirates, and the Beatles were taking over the world.

There were no music lessons in the curriculum, you created those yourself after school. I've got a lot of good memories of the school and certain teachers that inspired me, particularly in the art department."

It has just been announced - Yusuf is on the final ballot to be inducted into the US Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was unanimously chosen by the Nominating Committee to be included on the ballot that will go out to members for their votes next month.

This is the second time Yusuf has been nominated and he's not overly expectant. "As long as my music is in the hearts, I'm not bothered if it's not hung in the hall," Yusuf commented.

http://www.songhall.org/vote/entry/642

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Related news story:

Songwriters Hall of Fame Nomination (October, 2008)

As announced last week, Yusuf is returning to the live music scene this year with an innovative four-date tour around the UK and Ireland.

The shows will incorporate timeless hits from his Cat Stevens days and songs from the recent acclaimed albums 'An Other Cup' and 'Roadsinger', as well as a special premiere showcase of his very first musical, 'Moonshadow'.

The full dates are:

November 15 - Dublin The O2 (Buy Tickets)
November 23 - Birmingham NIA (Buy Tickets)
December 5 - Liverpool Echo Arena (Buy Tickets)
December 8 - London Royal Albert Hall (Buy Tickets)

Click here for further information.

After 33 years away from the stage, Yusuf will be returning later this year for an innovative four-date tour around the UK and Ireland.

This will definitely not be a tour in the usual sense and is set to incorporate Yusuf's timeless hits such as Wild World, Father & Son and The First Cut Is The Deepest, alongside music from his highly acclaimed new albums, An Other Cup and Roadsinger.

To make it even more of a spectacle for fans, Yusuf will also weave his latest creative voyage, his first musical, Moonshadow, into the shows....

Visit yusufislam.com to read the full update.

What an amazing coincidence! Apart from this date being the anniversary of my unfortunate turnaround from USA back to London in 2004, I found an interesting, if somewhat unnerving, connection to a strange mythical event which maketh me think – a simple spelling mistake might not be the total explanation of that fateful day.

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