The FIFA World Cup final halftime show continues to grow. Variety has learned exclusively that the event will now also include members of the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, who will jointly perform a tribute to Venezuela in the wake of its recent devastating earthquakes.

Gustavo Dudamel, the outgoing musical and artistic director of the LA Phil who will take over as musical and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic in September, will conduct the orchestra, marking the first time members of the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra have performed together.

Dudamel and the orchestras join a packed lineup for the 11-minute halftime show, which will take place July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. FIFA and Global Citizen partnered to organize the event, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin curating the show (in his role as international curator of the Global Citizen Festival) and Done+Dusted as producer. Among those who will also perform: Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy, PS22 Chorus with Coldplay and the Muppets.

“I think this will create this absolutely unforgettable moment,” Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans said of the orchestral maneuver. “It’s such a timely, important and urgent tribute to Venezuela’s resilience after the earthquakes. It all centers around this urgent need for world leaders to step up in support of Venezuela. And to have these two legendary orchestras together for the first time in history, I think it also reinforces that message of global unity and love that is woven throughout the entire halftime show, and is the essence of Chris Martin’s creative direction here.”

Evans credited Martin with bringing in Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

“He is a big fan of Gustavo and reached out to Gustavo, and Gustavo himself was so passionate about bringing these two orchestras together for this historic moment,” Evans said. “It’s a real credit to Gustavo. I should congratulate him enormously on this. It’s obviously a very expensive undertaking to pull this off, and all the artists perform for free. So the fact that he came together to get additional support so we could bring the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra from Venezuela to participate was a credit to him. He went above and beyond.”

Speaking of going above and beyond, here’s the tricky part: the orchestra members will have to perform standing up, as the halftime show is extremely limited in what it can bring to the pitch. Keeping the field (aka the field) in pristine condition is Done+Dusted’s first task, which means that, unlike the recent Super Bowl halftime show with Bad Bunny, there can’t be any heavy, elaborate staging.

“There have been months and months of collaboration with FIFA on our approach to the show, how we can incorporate it and how we can take it out and leave it exactly how we found it,” said Guy Carrington, partner and executive producer of Done+Dusted. “Let’s be honest, the match is the most important thing here. Everyone is there for the World Cup final. We are there to create an entertaining spectacle, but that can’t be at the expense of the game. That’s why we’ve spent a lot of our time working with FIFA on lightweight camera systems, how we look at the different wheels that go on our cars, right down to the shoes people wear. Everything has been carefully planned and choreographed.

“A lot of our rehearsal time was spent on how we incorporate this quickly but safely and without damaging the grass,” he added. “It’s a huge task, and a lot of time and effort goes into that level of detail to ensure that when the players come out for the second half, they’re playing on a pitch exactly the same as when they left it.”

Hamish Hamilton, executive producer and director of Done+Dusted, who just earned an Emmy nomination for directing Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, has been busy testing a field in Miami, including how to put up a large protective cover for the field, as well as examining the impact on the grass when people and cameras pass by it.

“As you know, I’ve participated in a few Super Bowls over the years, and the turf impact risk assessment we’ve done is significantly greater than what we’ve done in the NFL,” Hamilton said. “The NFL is obviously very protective, but this is a whole new level. We took an entire team to Miami to a section of grass. We removed partial field clothes. We removed camera systems that we had literally completely taken apart. We’ve redesigned. We’ve changed the wheels. We’ve used lighter cameras. We’ve used lighter lenses. Literally, every piece of technical equipment has been looked at. The number of people, what they’re wearing, how they move, how much time they spend in a particular location. “On site, everything has been looked at. been carefully monitored. The amount of times we are allowed to run on the grass, the amount of time we spend on the grass in rehearsal. “It’s a new, challenging and fun process.”

Carrington called it “a kind of exploration of restraint. Our inclination is always to try to go big, but this time it’s about creating a performance that feels organic in the moment. There’s no time, there’s no space to build a lot of things. And that wasn’t really the concept from the beginning.”

The halftime show is intended to benefit the FIFA World Citizens Education Fund, which is working to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football for children around the world. Evans said support for Venezuela has also become part of the goal.

“We have been encouraging world leaders from great football nations, such as France, Germany and Spain, to step up their commitments to support Venezuela as part of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund,” he said. “We have great news: Canada is on board. We have also had Portugal step up, but we want President Macron, now that France is doing so well. President Macron has to take a leadership position because his own nation is doing absolutely brilliantly at the World Cup. This is the time for the government to step up as well.”

Carrington credited Martin for pushing the theme of the halftime show to be “bringing people together and bringing the best artists together, bringing the world together. And so unlike a traditional Super Bowl halftime show, it was multiple artists and they collaborated and shared that performance,” he said. “Chris’ big belief is that this should feel representative of the world. It’s about creating a moment that feels organic to the tournament. And all the talent was really on board with the vision from the beginning.”

Carrington and Hamilton don’t want to reveal any more surprises at Sunday’s halftime show, but Hamilton hinted that “there’s a great message at the end, and let’s leave it there. For me, actually, putting on this show together with people from all over the world, with artists from all over the world, it definitely reflects the joy that the World Cup brings. And, you know, there’s a great moment at the end.”