Rome, Sept 06: One year after his death, a slew of concerts and programmes commemorating Luciano Pavarotti will be held across Italy and the world, starting Saturday in the tenor`s hometown of Modena.

The mayor of Modena told reporters there would be two free performances of Requiem de Verdi on Saturday in the northern Italian city.

"We will put on the Requiem de Verdi in the theatre that we have dedicated to him," Giorgio Pighi said.

"The large number of requests means a second performance will be given the following evening. All 2,000 tickets are free, a gift from Pavarotti`s hometown," he said.

With the support of the Italian culture minister and the famed Scala theatre in Milan, a singing competition has also been organised.

About 250 men and women from all over the world will participate, with the final to be held on October 3. The jury will be presided over by the tenor Carlo Bergonzi.

In Rome, the Vittoriano museum will unveil an exhibition in early September dedicated to Pavarotti.

Outside Italy, the Requiem de Verdi will be performed at the Metropolitan in New York on September 18 before some 3,000 people. In Paris, Parc Saint-Cloud will hold a memorial concert on September 13.

In Petra, Jordan, some of the biggest names in music will take part in a charity concert "Pavarotti and Friends," including Elton John, Bono, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker and Sting -- all of who have duetted with Pavarotti.

Pavarotti`s 38-year-old widow Nicoletta Mantovani said the concert was "a dream of King Hussein`s as much as it was Luciano`s."

"We have decided to donate all the proceeds from the concert to the United Nations, which Luciano passionately supported and represented with pride as a messenger of peace," she said.

Pavarotti died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71 in Modena on September 6 2007. Several thousand people attended his funeral two days later, including a display by the Italian air force`s acrobatic team.

A dispute followed on the sharing of his estate as two versions of his will did not share out the singer`s assets between his three daughters from his first marriage and his second wife and their four-year old daughter.

An agreement was eventually reached last June, Mantovani`s lawyer said at the time.

Bureau Report