KEY POINTS:
American singer Dionne Warwick will sing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on a New Zealand tour, replacing an injured and grieving Burt Bacharach.
Bacharach has withdrawn from the show. He broke his collar bone over the holiday period but is also dealing with the loss of his daughter Nikki.
The 41-year-old, who struggled all her life with the developmental disorder Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - took her own life last week. Her body was found in her California home.
A brief statement issued by Bacharach and Nikki's mother - his former wife, the actress Angie Dickinson - said their only daughter died at her apartment in the suburb of Thousand Oaks, north of Los Angeles.
Now 78, Bacharach is still going strong. Last year he recorded a jazz album with the Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, featuring a number of his classic songs. He played piano on several tracks.
NZSO chief executive Peter Walls said it was disappointing Bacharach could not come to New Zealand, but Warwick, known for her work with Bacharach, was a spectacular replacement.
"Her concerts will cause a huge amount of excitement."
Warwick last performed in New Zealand in 1995 at the Mission Vineyard in Hawkes Bay.
More recently she has performed with New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless in the American TV show Celebrity Duets.
The concerts will be held in Christchurch on January 30, Auckland on February 1 and 2 and Wellington on February 3 and 4.
- NZPA
