WHEN we speak it is the morning after the opening ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games and Kim Gavin's voice has the distinct huskiness of a man who has spent the evening before at full throttle to ensure the precise, clockwork execution of his vision.

The inaugural sporting event for wounded servicemen and women held in London saw 400 competitors from 13 countries take part with Gavin, as creative director, co-ordinating their glitzy welcome in front of several Royals, a raft of politicians and millions of people around the world.

The coming days, however, will see the choreographer and former ballet dancer shift his focus to a new challenge: the 2014 Ryder Cup Gala Concert in Glasgow. In a year that has already seen Scotland host the Commonwealth Games, generating a fresh wow factor was never going to be easy, but promoter Geoff Ellis of DF Concerts & Events has already promised a "smorgasbord" of entertainment and promised there "won't be a dry eye in The Hydro on September 24".

As the man with the job of delivering that concept, Gavin has devised a programme he believes will "surround golf with a heritage of the best culture and art" in Scotland.

It will see the nation's leading arts agencies Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland and RSNO share a stage for the first time joined by an eclectic mix of music talent including Nina Nesbitt, Jake Bugg, Twin Atlantic, Amy MacDonald, Midge Ure, Danny Wilson, Texas and Nile Rodgers.

"I wanted the show to have a real flavour of Scotland but be very different, stylised and grown-up in a way," says Gavin. "I like the idea of the agencies coming together to push culture through this show. I thought it had to be more than a concert. I felt it should be a celebration of what Scotland is good at."

Macdonald, one of the stars of the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, will perform her hit Mr Rock & Roll accompanied by the RSNO's full string ensemble, while Rodgers will swap Daft Punk for a classical version of his chart-topper Get Lucky before getting down to some cult classic Chic tracks, including Good Times and Le Freak. "It's going to feel like the Proms - big and epic," says Gavin.

The Ryder Cup players, led by captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson, will also be integrated into proceedings. "There is nice, little 15 minutes where we celebrate the Ryder Cup being in Scotland," he says. "The two teams will walk up through the audience and on to the stage."

The 53-year-old was the creative director for the closing ceremonies of both the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Other highlights of his career to date include choreographing the Concert For Diana at Wembley Stadium in 2007. He currently acts as artistic director for Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

Gavin left Bournemouth at 11 to study at the Royal Ballet School in London. After working across Europe in his late teens and early twenties as a dancer, including an appearance in the famed Prince Charming video with Adam And The Ants, he later turned his hand to choreography.

He has been artistic director for Take That for the past 22 years, creating the colourful themes for tours such as Circus and Progress. "That has been an amazing story to the point where I would say that their rise and later comeback has been huge part of my own life and career," says Gavin.

"We have been able to do some fantastic things together. It has also given me the experience to do bigger shows and live events.

"It never gets dull because it is always different. You have to re-invent the wheel all the time. No one wants to go to the same show twice. That is the exciting part, thinking up new ideas.

"The moment I always put at the top of my list was the elephant rising out of the middle of the stadium in the Circus tour. That is one I was totally satisfied with and became a talking point. Progress was a fantastic tour for me too and I am very proud of that. They were big, colossal shows."

It was the 30ft mechanical elephant that apparently helped impress the London 2012 head of ceremonies Martin Green, whom Gavin took to see Circus at Wembley. After landing the gig of artistic director for the Olympics closing ceremony, Gavin put together a line-up that included Emeli Sande, Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney and the Spice Girls in glittery, LED encrusted London taxis.

"I felt the pressure after Danny (Boyle) had done his wonderful opening ceremony," he admits. "After that we had something to live up to. On the night of the show itself, though, I did enjoy it and when I look back I am really proud of it."

He then turned his creative eye to the Paralympics closing ceremony, where the centrepiece was a 15-song set by Coldplay, themed around the seasons of autumn, winter, spring and summer. Most recently Gavin was involved in the opening ceremony for the Invictus Games, which included a poetry reading by Hollywood star Idris Elba, a song written by Coldplay's Chris Martin and a display by the Red Arrows.

He says: "I hope I'm not name-dropping. But being creative director for the opening ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games, we were standing together during rehearsal in the afternoon and I asked him: 'Are you nervous?' and he replied: 'I'm not nervous of the people here, I'm more nervous about the millions at home watch-ing.' I'm the opposite. I don't really think of the millions at home. I worry about the immediacy of what's in front of me."

Gavin is momentarily stumped when asked how many performers will be part of the 2014 Ryder Cup Gala Concert. "Oh, I haven't done the numbers - someone else did," he says, before reeling off a long list. "The orchestra is 50-strong, then there is 60 singers, the acts on the bill, a house band of six or seven, the National Theatre are bringing along eight or nine girls to sing Glasgow Girls and there's two from the ballet. Have you added all of that up?"

Somewhere in the ball park of upwards of 150, then. While Gavin will be keeping some surprises firmly under wraps until the night itself, he does drop a few hints.

"With the Ryder Cup, it is all about the golf being in town but let's see if we can give everyone a bit of a good time," he says. "We have done bespoke films and brought in some Craig Armstrong music.

"The surprise will be how it ebbs and flows," he adds. "We've put this together on paper but yet to come to the rehearsals. One of the aspects we are still talking about is how the teams will walk on stage. I think I am going to really enjoy this one."

The 2014 Ryder Cup Gala Concert is at SSE Hydro, Glasgow, on September 24. For ticket information, see the website ticketmaster.co.uk or call 08444 999 990.