Laura Mvula and Corinne Bailey Rae to perform at Southbank Centre x Montreux Jazz Festival Residency celebrating Nina Simone

With three days of live performances from Friday 31 January to Sunday 2 February 2025, the residency will launch a three-year creative partnership exploring the question ‘What is Jazz Today?’. In its first year, this will be explored through the lens of Nina Simone, who performed with both organisations, featuring inspiring Black female artists who both admire and embody the spirit of the great woman.

The residency opens in the 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 two of the finest modern vocalists who have been inspired by the legendary singer: 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 take to the Queen Elizabeth Hall stage premiering music from his new album, Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, and sharing some thought-provoking social commentary in his inimitable way. That same evening will host jam session in the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer, featuring Penge Femme Jamm, the Southbank Centre’s house band comprised of all female and non-binary musicians.

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. From civil rights marches to dinners in Marseille, James Baldwin and Nina Simone shared a deep friendship, underpinned by their passion for justice, art and the liberation of African American people.

Over the course of the three year partnership this residency will also provide opportunity for artist exchange and skills development by younger British and Swiss jazz artists. The public will also have the opportunity to participate in various educational activities, such as workshops, listening sessions and a networking event focussed on artists’ mental health hosted by the Harvey Parker Trust.