Southbank Centre & MJF unveil residency programme
The programme has been revealed for the inaugural Southbank Centre x Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) Residency, including three days of live performances celebrating Nina Simone.
The organisations will launch their three-year creative partnership in 2025, which will explore the question, What is Jazz Today?
Taking place from 31 January to 2 February, its first year will be explored through the lens of Simone, who performed at both Southbank and MJF, featuring inspiring Black female artists.
“The MJF Residency is a key project of the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation [MJAF], a philanthropic foundation of the festival,” says MJAF general secretary Viviane Rychner Raouf. “Expanding it to London, an iconic city in the jazz scene, in partnership with a prestigious institution like the Southbank Centre, is a unique opportunity.
“The MJAF is committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse contemporary jazz scene, along with all the communities that shape it. This is a great opportunity to shine a light on some incredible Black female talent inspired by one of the greatest artists of all time – Nina Simone.”
“We are also making space for new and emerging creatives who are shaping jazz today”
The residency opens at Royal Festival Hall on Friday 31 January with Mississippi Goddam: A Celebration of Nina Simone performed by Tomorrow’s Warriors’ Nu Civilisation Orchestra with arrangements by Jules Buckley. Led by conductor Peter Edwards, the tribute will feature vocalists Corinne Bailey Rae and Laura Mvula, alongside China Moses, Ni Maxine and Tony Njoku.
On Saturday 1 February, musician, historian and political commentator, Soweto Kinch, will grace the Queen Elizabeth Hall stage to premiere music from his new album, Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, while the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer will host a jam session featuring Penge Femme Jamm, the Southbank Centre’s house band comprised of all-female and non-binary musicians.
Then, on Sunday 2 February, Lucy-Anne Daniels and Peter Edwards lead the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in The Fire Inside, their tribute to writer and political activist James Baldwin.
“We are delighted to announce the first names as part of the Montreux Jazz Festival x Southbank Centre Residency,” says Southbank Centre artistic director Mark Ball. “Opening with two British icons – Laura Mvula and Corinne Bailey Rae – celebrating Nina Simone 26 years on since she graced the Royal Festival Hall, we are also making space for new and emerging creatives who are shaping jazz today, whether that’s the National Youth Jazz Orchestra or Peng Femme Jam. As we continue to ask ‘What is Jazz Today?’, this partnership will further strengthen the genre’s exciting future.”
“The Montreux Jazz Festival has always been a platform for innovation, and this collaboration allows us to extend that spirit of discovery to new audiences”
In parallel with the concerts, two Swiss artists and two British artists will come together for a week-long residency, culminating in jam sessions at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer. The public will also have the opportunity to participate in various educational activities, such as workshops, listening sessions and a networking event focused on artists’ mental health hosted by the Harvey Parker Trust.
The Southbank Centre will also have a presence at Montreux Jazz Festival’s 2025 edition in Switzerland.
“We are thrilled to embark on this extraordinary artistic partnership with Southbank Centre, uniting two cultural institutions with a shared passion and values for music, inclusivity and creative freedom,” adds Mathieu Jaton, CEO of MJF. “The Montreux Jazz Festival has always been a platform for innovation, and this collaboration allows us to extend that spirit of discovery to new audiences in London. Together, we aim to not only celebrate the rich legacy of jazz but also explore the meaning of jazz today in order to inspire future generations of musicians and music lovers through cross-cultural exchanges and talent development.
“What better way to showcase the incredible diversity of the modern jazz scene than through the lens of Nina Simone. Few artists have shaped the history of music and the Montreux Jazz Festival as profoundly as she has. Her legacy of resilience and artistic brilliance remains a source of inspiration for us all.”
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