Tomorrow’s Warriors announces landmark season ‘Big Summer of Music’ Celebrating 35 Years of transforming UK Jazz.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Major summer live events programme across London and the UK marks 35 years of Tomorrow’s Warriors reshaping British jazz, talent pipelines & equity in music. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Tomorrow’s Warriors announces landmark season ‘Big Summer of Music’
Celebrating 35 Years of transforming UK Jazz
Major summer live events programme across London and the UK marks 35 years of Tomorrow’s Warriors reshaping British jazz, talent pipelines & equity in music
More info here
https://tomorrowswarriors.org/2026/06/25/a-big-summer-of-music-as-tomorrows-warriors-celebrates-35-years/

(25 June 2026) Pioneering talent development organisation and charity Tomorrow’s Warriors today announces its landmark Big Summer of Music celebrating a 35 year milestone of impact and cultural legacy, with a dynamic programme of live events and festival appearances this summer, including Southbank Centre Riverside Sessions, two BBC Proms, Kings Cross Summer Sounds, Love Supreme Festival and We Out Here Festival.

Since inception in 1991, the organisation has been changing the face and sound of British jazz, nurturing thousands of young musicians, and building the talent pipelines that have fuelled the UK’s global jazz renaissance, with a remarkable legacy of world-class artists including Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings and Moses Boyd. This summer signals an exciting next chapter, as Tomorrow’s Warriors expands its reach and ambition to inspire future generations.

The Big Summer of Music reflects the breadth of Tomorrow’s Warriors’ impact over the years, showcasing the full scope of its talent development programme across generations of artists. Audiences can expect a vibrant mix of emerging artists, celebrated alumni, rising young musicians, and its acclaimed professional ensemble Nu Civilisation Orchestra, coming together for an inspiring season of performances across some of the UK’s leading cultural stages.

SUMMER 2026 PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS:

Southbank Centre – Riverside Sessions - 23 July, 30 July, 6 August, London Tomorrow’s Warriors takes over the Southbank Centre’s iconic Riverside Terrace for three free outdoor sessions as part of the venue’s 75th anniversary celebrations. 23 July - Tomorrow’s Warriors x Kinetika Bloco, 30 July - Tomorrow’s Warriors: July Thursday and 6 August - Tomorrow’s Warriors: August Thursday. Expect a heady mix of emerging jazz talent, special guests, and sunset‑soaked live sets, with DJs carrying the vibe late into the evening.

Tomorrow’s Warriors Extraordinary Summer Showcase - 2 August – Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, Southbank Centre London Catch live music from the talented artists of Tomorrow’s Warriors, featuring some of the finest young jazz musicians on London’s bubbling scene right now.

BBC Proms – Under African Skies: The Songs of Graceland - 5 August – Royal Albert Hall, London Nu Civilisation Orchestra joins Ladysmith Black Mambazo for a major Prom celebrating the 40 anniversary of Paul Simon’s era-defining album ‘Graceland’. To be broadcast on BBC TV and Radio.

Kings Cross Summer Sounds – Tomorrow’s Warriors Takeover - 16 August – Coal Drops Yard, London - One day festival celebrating 35 years, with artist alumni guesting with TW performing ensembles; Big Band featuring ESKA, Junior Band featuring Binker Golding, Youth Ensemble featuring Denys Baptiste and Nu Establishment featuring Gary Crosby and Zara McFarlane - expect a unique intergenerational party that only Warriors could throw.

We Out Here Festival Big Top Stage - 20–23 August – Wimborne St Giles, Dorset - TW returns to We Out Here for the 5th year, with 22 bands across four days on the Tomorrow’s Warriors Big Top stage, plus Nu Civilisation Orchestra performing with Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai on the Main Stage.
As Gilles Peterson says: “Tomorrow’s Warriors doesn’t sit on the margins of a bigger programme - it sits at the heart of the festival’s mission.”

Love Supreme Festival – 4-5 July – Glynde Place, East Sussex Tomorrow’s Warriors artists and alumni David Kayode, Nu Establishment, Mali Sheard and Junior Band perform across the festival weekend, showcasing the organisation’s deep influence on the UK jazz landscape.

Black On The Square – 5 September - Trafalgar Square, London Tomorrow’s Warriors joins London’s flagship celebration of Black creativity, culture and musical legacy. Nu Establishment is a musical co-operative featuring some of the finest young jazz talent on the London scene. Mentored by Dr Gary Crosby OBE, they serve up an infectious mix of ska, calypso, mento, and Blue Beat with an impulsive jazz influence. Nu Establishment are focussed on just one mission – bringing big vibes and good times!

OTHER SUMMER PERFORMANCES:

Youth Jazz - A Celebration - 28 June – Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Kings Place, London – TW partners with Trinity Laban for a day-long festival and summer celebration of youth jazz, as part of their Jazz Hang partnership programme. Performances from TW youth ensembles and partner school jazz bands, and an ‘in conversation’ with world-leading guitarist, band-leader and jazz composer John McLaughlin and Dr Gary Crosby OBE.

Tomorrow’s Warriors Big Band + 1 featuring CHERISE at Foyles – 31 July – Foyles, London - A special performance from TW’s flagship ensemble in one of London’s most iconic cultural spaces.

BBC Proms – John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme – 8 August – Bristol Beacon, Bristol - A live performance by the Denys Baptiste & Gary Crosby Quartet of Coltrane’s iconic 1965 album, broadcast for a special live edition broadcast of the acclaimed late-night Radio 3 jazz show ’Round Midnight. Marking the centenary of John Coltrane and his 1965 album A Love Supreme.

BXL x LDN Interplay III – 21 August, Vortex Jazz Club - The third edition of Tomorrow’s Warriors BXL x LDN Interplay, a ground-breaking, vibrant, international jazz collaboration uniting six rising stars from London (Donovan Haffner, Christ-Stéphane Boizi and Lauren Breen) and Brussels (Alice Sinephro, Lorenzo Ola Kobina, Simon Mouctar de Rover), in partnership with Brosella Festival.

This summer’s programme is both a celebration and a statement: the next 35 years start now.

Janine Irons OBE, Co‑Founder & CEO, Tomorrow’s Warriors
“Tomorrow’s Warriors has always been about more than music - it’s about community, culture, and creating the conditions for young people to thrive. This summer reflects the scale of what our artists have achieved and the future we’re building together.”

Dr Gary Crosby OBE, Co‑Founder & Artistic Director
“For three and a half decades we’ve championed young musicians who deserved to be heard. This summer shows the power of that long‑term commitment -generations of Warriors sharing stages, festivals and audiences.”

About Tomorrow’s Warriors: Founded in 1991 by Queen’s Medal for Music recipient Dr Gary Crosby OBE and Janine Irons OBE, Tomorrow’s Warriors is a pioneering music charity specialising in jazz, providing young people locked out of opportunity with access to the resources, networks and platforms they need to flourish in music and live into their full creative potential. Intergenerational by design, Tomorrow’s Warriors’ has an ethos of ‘Each one teach one’ and a focus across three roles: meet young people where they are to discover their potential in music and make dedicated space for them to learn together and re-imagine their futures; develop their skills and talent and make sure they are platformed; and produce professional ensembles and orchestral work to international acclaim.

In building the change, Tomorrow’s Warriors works in partnership with industry leaders and national institutions, professional training providers and schools, cultural education hubs and community youth networks towards an ecosystem that over 35 years, has seen the organisation make radical shifts to lives and livelihoods, with over 20,000 young people engaged as active participants in its learning programmes so far. Tomorrow’s Warriors produces over 200 performances per year to audiences in excess of 30,000, championing the voices and visibility of young Black, Global Majority, and female musicians, and those facing other socio-economic disadvantage. The organisation creates clear progression routes to successful and sustainable careers in the music industry with alumni including Femi Koleoso and the BRIT Award and Mercury Prize winning Ezra Collective, as well as Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Cassie Kinoshi, Shabaka Hutchings, ESKA, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch, Ben Burrell, Zara McFarlane, Camilla George, CHERISE, Peter Edwards, Sultan Stevenson, Binker Golding, Shirley Tetteh, Blue Lab Beats…and more.

TW is proud to be a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and a member of the PRS Foundation Talent Development Network. Tomorrow’s Warriors is also the home of professional ensemble, Nu Civilisation Orchestra. Tomorrow’s Warriors is a not-for-profit company and a Registered Charity No 1153613. tomorrowswarriors.org/ Give today to Tomorrow’s Warriors at cafdonate.cafonline.org/13423