as late-night performances, lectures, and master classes. November 2 – The Fauxharmonic Orchestra loses in its debut confrontation with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in a Bargemusic concert. November 4 – Bhimsen Joshi is selected to receive the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. November 6 – Michael Tilson Thomas makes his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription-concert conducting debut. November 17 – Korean violinist Hyun-Su Shin wins First Prize in the Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competition in Paris November 23 – 13 years after his disappearance, Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards is declared dead in absentia. Wes Carr is crowned the winner of the sixth season of Australian Idol, defeating Luke Dickens. November 24 – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Pinchas Zukerman as principal guest conductor, to begin in January 2009. November 24 – Kanye West releases his 4th studio album "808s & Heartbreak". December December 9 – Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon say that Blur will reunite for a concert at Hyde Park on July 3, 2009. Tickets for the concert sell out within two minutes of release, and Blur announce another date on July 2, 2009. December 11 – Elliott Carter celebrates his 100th birthday. December 13 – Beyoncé Knowles scores her fifth number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", which followed "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", and "Irreplaceable", tying with Rihanna as the leading solo female artist with the most number ones to have charted in this decade. Alexandra Burke is named winner of the fifth series of The X Factor UK. JLS are named runner-ups, while Eoghan Quigg and Diana Vickers finish in third and fourth place respectively. December 22 – Live Nation announce that Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour is the highest-grossing tour for a solo artist, with US$280 million in ticket sales and 2,350,282 fans attending the 58 shows during the three-leg tour across Europe and the Americas. Bands formed See :Category:Musical groups established in 2008 Bands reformed See :Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2008Returning performers AC/DC (first album since 2000) Vanessa Amorosi (debut international album and first Australian album since 1999) Anastacia (last studio album released in 2004) As Friends Rust (reformed after breaking up in 2002) Ashanti (last studio album released in 2004) Ashlee Simpson (last studio album released in 2005) Billy Bragg (first studio album since 2002, first under