World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens proudly announces its Autumn/Winter 2025 concert season, featuring an inspiring line-up of artists and performances, both internationally acclaimed and rising local talent that will inspire and warm the soul as the seasons change.

Running from September through December, the new season invites audiences to Nine Elms to experience contemporary jazz and classical ensembles as well as global rhythms, emerging talent and genre-crossing collaborations. Located in the vibrant riverside development of Embassy Gardens, the state-of-the-art concert hall continues to establish itself as one of London’s most exciting new cultural destinations.

Highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2025 Concert Season include:

– Season of the Song series, which starts in September and celebrates the beauty and power of the human voice across a rich tapestry of musical genres, including jazz, opera, classical, folk, and world music. This includes concert
Harmonie du Soir from World Heart Beat Artist in Resident, Cyrill Ibrahim alongside soprano, Simona Mihai

– Prominent American guitarist and composer Marc Ribot performs his recently released album, Map of a Blue City, which features his voice for the first time, blending roots, bossa nova, no-wave, blues, and free jazz into a collection of original compositions and reinterpretations

– A contemporary opera first at World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens with Infinitesimal, blurring the boundaries between science, memoir, theatre, and music, transmuting chamber opera into an expansive sonic landscape, as well as
Around the World of Opera from National Opera Studio

– An exciting new jazz programme from November through to December, celebrating the likes of Tony Kofi, Denys Baptiste, Jasper Høiby, Rebecca Nash + Sara Colman and many more

– Christmas festivities with a Christmas community concert, as well as a Christmas soiree with World Heart Beat Patron and jazz maestro, Julian Joseph and his trio

For further details on the Autumn Winter concert series, please visit https://worldheartbeat.org/whats-on/

October

Season of the Song: Frida Touray: Homebody EP Launch, Wednesday 1 October 2025, 7:30pm (Soul/folk/jazz)

Known for her soulful voice and heartfelt storytelling, London-based singer and songwriter Frida invites you into a space where vulnerability meets strength, weaving songs that explore themes of love, identity, and connection. This one-off performance promises to be both personal and powerful and a chance to experience the new music up close. Expect an evening of rich melodies, honest lyrics, and a special glimpse into the heart of Homebody, her highly anticipated second EP, ‘Homebody’, as well as music from her debut EP ‘Mending’.

Season of the Song: The 286 + Holocene, Saturday 4 October 2025, 7:30pm (Symphonic Rock)

The 286 are a genre-spanning rock orchestra from London, blending guitar-driven rock with the elegance of classical music. Their unique symphonic sound fuses the spirit of British invasion-era pop, the boldness of classic rock, and the sweeping drama of classical music, creating music that feels both timeless and thrillingly modern. Aside from their own compositions, The 286 perform their own unique arrangements of classical pieces created by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Prokovfiev and Bach. Holocene is the alias for frontwoman Sian Kelly, an artist and songwriter from Southwest London. Holocene pairs her cinematic soundscapes and heavy guitars with a voice which celebrates the darker qualities of the female range, telling stories of loss, learning in love and inevitable change.

Season of the Song: Infinitesimal, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 October 2025, 7:30pm (Contemporary Opera)

Based on groundbreaking research about near-death experiences, Infinitesimal blurs the boundaries between science, memoir, theatre, and music, transmuting chamber opera into an expansive sonic landscape, pushing the expressive limits to reimagine the singer-pianist duo. It showcases gay and female voices through the shared experiences of its central characters and “amplifies the vital interconnection between humans” (Paradiso.Pure Living). Dancing at the threshold between our existence and what lies beyond it, Infinitesimal is directed by Kevin Newbury and composed and performed by pianist Nicole Brancato and baritone Jeremy Weiss.

Season of the Song: Stephanie Goodwin & Ross Lorraine: A Celebration of Songwriters, Saturday 11 October 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

An evening of beautifully crafted new material and original songs from celebrated singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Burt Bacharach and more. Each piece has been carefully selected to guide the audience on a journey of joy and reflection, showcasing the emotional depth and storytelling power of contemporary songwriting.

Season of the Song: In Our Voices: Moira Smiley Vocal Workshop 12 October, 3:00 – 5:00pm (Vocal)

Join Grammy-nominated singer and composer Moira Smiley for an afternoon of harmony singing. Moira is a celebrated singing leader inspiring singer of all backgrounds. She’s published over 100 choral works that are sung by millions of singers worldwide. With a deep respect for the cultural roles of singing, Moira blends teaching, composing, and performing to empower voices and celebrate the transformative power of music. Moira will lead warmups, musical games, and the singing of new and old folk songs in rich vocal harmony. The workshop is open to singers of all levels and ages.

Season of the Song: In Our Voices: Moira Smiley with Ben & Dom, 12 October, 6:00pm (Vocal)

Known for her rich voice and dynamic stage presence, Moira has collaborated with some of the most celebrated names in music, including Tune-Yards, Eric Whitacre, Chris Thile, Hilary Hahn, and Morten Lauridsen. Ben & Dom weave their voices around songs old and new, performing original material alongside new interpretations of folk songs. The intricate blend of their harmonies comes from a close friendship and shared love of singing together. Moira Smiley is known for her rich voice and dynamic stage presence. Moira has collaborated with some of the most celebrated names in music, including Tune-Yards, Eric Whitacre, Chris Thile, Hilary Hahn, and Morten Lauridsen. Join Moira for a vocal workshop at 3pm!

Season of the Song: Around the World of Opera: National Opera Studio, Thursday 16 October 2025, 7.30pm (Opera)

Prepare to be swept away by the passion, drama, and humour of opera by stars of the National Opera Studio, featuring the works of Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, and others.

Sabina Rakcheyeva and Gunel Mirzayev: East Meets West, Friday 17 October, 7.30pm (Classical and Trad improvisation /Jazz)

This concert will take you on a musical journey from classical to jazz and improvisation. Presented by two artists, violinist Sabina and pianist Gunel from Azerbaijan, whose similar background and passion will take the listeners on a fascinating journey connecting East and West.

Season of the Song: Marc Ribot: Map of a Blue City, Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 October 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz/Folk)

Most renowned as a wildly inventive guitarist who has collaborated with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, John Zorn, Wilson Pickett, Marianne Faithfull, Caetano Veloso, Solomon Burke, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Neko Case, among many, many others, Marc Ribot’s newly released Map of a Blue City (out on New West Records) features Ribot’s imaginative playing and leads to what may be his definitive statement as an instrumentalist, as a songwriter, and even as a singer. While it’s not a traditional singer-songwriter album, it is his first to centre his plaintive, wise voice quite so prominently throughout; the Map of a Blue City showcases songs that collide disparate traditions, including roots, bossa nova, no wave, noise, free jazz, and sounds with no genre associations.

November

Season of the Song: Operation Forest + Leah Wing Friday 7 November 2025, 7:30pm (Young Musicians/Jazz)

Operation Forest will be directed and curated by Ava Joseph—a rising star and inspirational local artist. A gifted singer-songwriter and World Heart Beat alumna, Ava is known for her genre-crossing talent and authentic voice, combining jazz, soul, R&B, and conscious lyricism. As a performer and composer, she has worked with artists such as Tomorrow’s Warriors, Nitin Sawhney, and Soweto Kinch and has recently been featured on BBC Introducing. Leah Wing is a rising musician from Southwest London, nurtured by World Heart Beat, who began as a gifted flautist and has since evolved into a soulful singer-songwriter. Blending indie folk with pop and jazz influences, her honest, emotionally resonant lyrics invite listeners to reflect on their own experiences.

Season of the Song: Çiğdem Aslan, Saturday 8 November 2025, 7:30pm (folk/global)

A concert that promises to stir the soul and ignite the senses. Hailed as “a lioness and nightingale” by the Evening Standard, Aslan brings the raw passion of Rebetiko to life with a voice described by Jazz Weekly as “rich, earthy and penetrating—as sweet as a watermelon and as strong as a demitasse of coffee.” A master of emotional storytelling, her performances blend haunting beauty with fierce energy, earning her accolades from Songlines Magazine and RFI Music as one of the most powerful voices in world music today.

Season of the Song: Legacy: Coltrane and Cannonball, Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste Quintet, Friday 14 November 2025, 7:30pm (jazz)

An unforgettable evening of jazz as two of London’s premier saxophonists, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi, reunite to present a powerful new project. Having first performed together in the early 1990s as part of Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop, these distinguished musicians now pay tribute to the legendary partnership of Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and John Coltrane.

Their performance will meticulously recreate the iconic Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago album, capturing the spirit, energy, and brilliance of one of jazz’s most historic collaborations. Joining them will be Rick Simpson on piano, Mikele Montolli on double bass, and Winston Clifford on drums. Do not miss this extraordinary musical experience.

Julian Joseph Trio: Voyage of the Faithful (Album Launch), Saturday 15 November 2025, 7:30pm (jazz)

‘Voyage of the Faithful’ is Julian Joseph’s first recording with his beloved trio of 30 years – Mark Hodgson and Mark Mondesir on bass and drums. Since his last studio album, Julian’s focus has been on performing new music on the live stage, but now he brings his hallmark sparkle, originality, and the wonderful pulsating swing he is so famous for to this set of original compositions and prized standards from the jazz canon. His Caribbean interpretation of the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol staple, ‘Caravan’, and his extended, emotive reading of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’ express both his love for jazz and his desire to always push himself, his band, and the expectations of the listener.

The Jazz Physicians: Critical Mass Album Launch, Sunday 16 November 2025, 7:30pm (Contemporary/jazz)

The Jazz Physicians is made up of a trio of musicians better known for their work as performers and producers in Pop and Electronica; writer/producer Aidan Glover, drummer Andy Gangadeen and bass guitarist Nick Cohen. This is no ordinary jazz trio – nor are they trying to be. The Jazz Physicians play a mixture of originals, contemporary and classic covers from Neal Hefti to Tania Maria, Burt Bacharach to Bob James.

Zoe Rahman Trio, Monday 17 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

Zoe’s performance will include trio arrangements of a suite she wrote for World Piano Day 2024, commissioned by Hull Jazz Festival and Humber Street Piano sessions. The work was based on themes of voyage, migration and family, taking inspiration from two statues in Hull – one which commemorates the 2.2million people who passed through Hull as a port city, the other which looks out across the Humber to the sea

Changing Times performed by Sorin Zlat Trio, Tuesday 18 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz, funk, flamenco)

In 2024, Romanian pianist Sorin Zlat began working on his new album, Changing Times, which features original compositions. The project has enjoyed well-deserved success not only in Romania but also across Europe and the United States and has led to a new collaboration. Spanning styles from cool jazz and post-bop to Latin, flamenco, funk and avant-garde, the project stands as a testament to the universality of music. It brings together musicians from different generations and schools of thought, united by the common language of jazz.

Double Bill: Danny Piers Trio and World Heart Beat Band (Tribute to Evelyn Dove) Wednesday 19 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

After having established firm roots in the swing tradition whilst studying with renowned pianist John Turville, British Spanish jazz pianist Danny began to experiment with more contemporary sounds – absorbing the music of John Taylor, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Shai Maestro. He will be joined by Tom Sheen on bass and Sacha Harlan on drums. The World Heart Beat Band, honouring Evelyn Dove, the pioneering jazz vocalist whose soulful interpretations and international career made her one of Britain’s earliest and most captivating jazz stars.

Jaeger/Mitchell/Hitchcock & Alex Hitchcock Quartet, Thursday 20 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

Saxophonist and composer Alex Hitchcock presents a specially devised programme at World Heart Beat as part of the London Jazz Festival. The first set features a spontaneous, exploratory trio with acclaimed improvisers cellist/vocalist Midori Jaeger and pianist Robert Mitchell.

In striking contrast, the second set showcases Hitchcock’s dynamic working quartet — with Will Barry, Ben Tiberio and Ananda Brandao — fresh from developing new material at a long residency at Guimaraes Jazz Festival in Portugal. This one-off performance offers an insight into the creative arc leading to Hitchcock’s forthcoming album Letters From Afar, released in September 2025, and highlights the rich breadth of collaboration shaping his bold, evolving sound.

In the Pocket, Friday 21 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

In The Pocket began in August 2024 at The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch, sparked by a conversation with bassist Solomon Douglas — current MD of one of the house bands — who wanted to explore a new kind of improvised night.

The night centres around pocket grooves, blending jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, Latin, and R&B — all rooted in the old-school art of listening and spontaneous creation. Each ensemble is one-of-a-kind: no rehearsals, no setlists, just musicians free to groove in the moment.

Artists like Tom Misch, Kaidi Akinnibi, Samson Jatto, and Laurie Milton have graced the stage, alongside vocalists such as SHANTÉH Fuller, Emmanuel Ayeni, Laville, and Ruby Wood. More recently, MCs like Deeriginal have joined — all fully improvised performances.

Jasper Høiby with Special Guests, Saturday 22 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

This performance promises a powerful journey through sound, spirit, and connection, led by one of Europe’s most dynamic jazz bassists and composers, Jasper Høiby.

Renowned for his work with the influential trio Phronesis, as well as his boundary-pushing ensemble Fellow Creatures, Jasper Høiby has become a vital force in modern jazz. His music is a fusion of lyrical beauty, rhythmic complexity, and an unwavering social conscience. Always seeking new terrain, Høiby’s recent projects reflect a deepening commitment to environmental and philosophical themes, exploring the intersections of music, collective awareness, and change.

Season of the Song: Ribbons Album Launch: Rebecca Nash + Sara Colman + Bridget Walsh Sunday 23 November 2025, 2:30pm (Jazz)

The beauty, intimacy and creativity of the duo come to the fore in this exquisite combination of singer Sara Colman and pianist Rebecca Nash. Their long-standing relationship has honed a musical intuition that produces the misleadingly easy-sounding but musically adventurous storytelling of all good singer-musician relationships. With an international tour résumé spanning everything from Glastonbury’s Hell Stage to New Zealand’s National Jazz Festival, Bridget Walsh is a playful and genre-expansive artist. For fans of James Blake, Radiohead, Little Dragon and more, Bridget is an experimental vocalist and fearless frontwoman of London band 10:32 with Lyle Barton, Radovan Brtko and Isobella Burnham.

Peyman Yazdanian: Echoes of the Moment Sunday 23 November 2025, 7:30pm (Jazz)

Peyman Yazdanian is an acclaimed Iranian pianist and composer known for his unique fusion of Persian musical sensibilities with Western classical traditions. Trained from a young age in Tehran and later in Europe, Yazdanian has composed over 40 solo piano pieces and numerous orchestral works, earning international recognition for both his concert music and film scores.

Season of the Song: Mishra & Deepa Shakthi: Album Release Tour, Friday 28 November, 7:30pm (Global/Indian)

Mishra is a collective of musicians with a growing reputation for forging a distinctive path through music rooted in diverse traditions. Founded as a duo of Kate Griffin on banjo and vocals and Ford Collier (The Drystones) on low whistle and percussion, the pair recruited some of the finest musicians exploring the meeting points of world, folk, and jazz on the Sheffield music scene: John Ball (Rafiki Jazz) on tabla and santoor, Joss Mann-Hazell (Auka) on double bass, and Alex Lyon on clarinets and vocals.

December

Season of the Song: Eliane Corea: Cuban Sextet, Friday 5 December 2025, 7:30pm (Cuban)

Inspired by the modern-day large timba orchestras of Havana, Eliane Correa’s Cuban Sextet brings a high-octane mix of Cuban classics, contemporary Cuban repertoire and some small-format adaptations of Eliane’s original pieces for her supergroup La Evolución. Cuban music goes much further than the sound of Buena Vista Social Club: prepare to be transported by the modern, grooving, passionate and unapologetically complex sound of the younger generations of the Cuban diaspora.

World Heart Beat Christmas Community Concert, Tuesday 9 December 2025, 6:30pm (Young musicians/Christmas)

Join World Heart Beat for Christmas cheer with carols and festive classics from its very own line-up of exciting talent. Each ticket sold will help give children and young people, particularly those living in difficult circumstances, an opportunity to learn
music by removing barriers through the provision of bursaries and free instruments to all those who need them. Refreshments will be served, including mince pies, mulled wine and hot chocolate.

Season of the Song: Christmas with Julian Joseph: Supporting World Heart Beat, Friday 12 December 2025, 7:30pm, (Jazz/Christmas)

Celebrate the majesty of the season with internationally renowned jazz maestro Julian Joseph in an evening of unforgettable festive sophistication, dazzling jazz, winter elegance, and Christmas cheer. Julian and the trio will be joined by special guests to
celebrate the holiday season on the World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens stage with a great selection of songs for Christmas!