TWO pop stars will be reborn in Ross as the tiny town will once again be welcoming top talent from all over the world to appear in the 2003 Ross on Wye International Festival.

After an absence of a year,

the festival is relaunching

itself with performances from former Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley and top British songbird Elkie Brooks.

Both joined the tour bus of 10 formerly famous pop stars competing for a new lease of professional life in the

ITV series Reborn In The

USA.

Brooks became the third contestant to be booted off the show on Saturday, March 29, after loosing a public vote to Hadley, who has now made it to the final four who will be singing in the semi-final tomorrow.

Much of the Ross on Wye International Festival

line-up has yet to be confirmed, but organisers

have promised big names from across the

spectrum of the arts and from all over the

world.

In the past, the festival has featured the likes

of Van Morrison, violin virtuoso Vannessa Mae

and Evesham-born impressionist Alistair

McGowan.

This year Hadley will be performing a selection of hits from the Spandau Ballet days as well as songs from his soon-to-be-released solo album.

Brooks has more than a dozen hit singles to her name including Lilac Wine, Pearl's A Singer,

We Don't Cry Out Loud and Sunshine After The Rain. As well as some of these older hits, she will perform tracks from her recent jazz and blues album Trouble In Mind.

On the international music scene, the festival will be featuring Senegal's Orchestra Baobab, winners of album of the year at the Radio 3 World Music Awards.

Orchestra Baobab's music is an uplifting fusion of Afro-Latin rhythms tinged with reggae.

"With an exceptional range of artists from around the globe, each excelling in their field, this year's festival will be inspiring,

thought-provoking and, most importantly, hugely entertaining," said artistic director Verity McArthur.

Financial difficulties forced

the festival to close last year, but now organisers and the Arts Council have reassessed what people want from the event.

"This has given us huge motivation to make it as exciting and as entertaining as it possibly can be," said McArthur who ran contemporary performance venue Croydon Clocktower and Croydon Summer Festival.

"We will be bringing back one or two old favourites and some artists who have never appeared at the festival before.

"There is a tinge of a Spanish theme running through the festival as we have a number of artists from Spain, but there is no real main theme to the festival."

"We will also be bringing quality work for young audiences and work for family audiences."

Ross seems an unlikely candidate for an international festival but McArthur said it provides the perfect backdrop.

"Throughout Europe you find these tiny towns which have the most wonderful festival atmosphere," she said.

Ross on Wye International Festival will run from August 7 to 17. The festival box office will open on Tuesday, May 27.