Festivals, Tours & Past Shows

Every November, the EFG London Jazz Festival takes over London, with a diverse line-up showcasing global stars and emerging talent. As the biggest pan-city music festival in Europe, it brings over 100k audience members together at 300+ live shows at venues across the city. The festival was created in 1992 and celebrated its thirtieth iteration in 2022.

An annual event series spotlighting experimental, adventurous and boundary-pushing music. Between the Lines has previously taken place at venues including the ICA, Corsica Studios, and Cafe OTO and featured artists including Coby Sey, Beatrice Dillon, Loraine James, Nabihah Iqbal, Erased Tapes and more.

This celebration of modern Irish culture takes place annually at the Barbican and has featured artists including Sorcha Richardson and James Vincent Mcmorrow. Serious has produced Imagining Ireland since 2016, working closely with the National Concert Hall Dublin and supported by Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland.

Higher Ground is a one-day festival which boasts an all-female line-up of singer-songwriters, genre defying acts and contemporary sounds. Previous artists have included Patti Smith, The Staves, The Orielles and Tawiah.

Our annual Summer Jazz Series takes place from June - July in the run up to the EFG London Jazz Festival. Featuring global icons who perform in venues across London, the series is an opportunity to see international stars on London's doorstep. Previous artists have included Herbie Hancock, Shakti, Kandace Springs, Branford Marsalis Quartet and Abdullah Ibrahim Trio.

The most-streamed classical artist of all time, the illustrious composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi has worked with Serious for years. From UK arena tours to sold out London Palladium shows, Einaudi is now set to perform the longest continuous headline run by a pianist in the history of the Royal Albert Hall, with five shows in Summer 2025.

The triumphant return of Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric D. Johnson, more formally known as Bonny Light Horseman, saw a sold out UK tour in 2023. They now with their upcoming release Rolling Golden Holy - 11 original songs that follow the paths of the traditional tunes the band cherishes to new musical and lyrical frontiers.

In 2024, for the first time in a decade, ANOHNI presented a series of concerts with the Johnsons, with two sold-out UK dates at the Barbican.

We worked with Mongolian jazz singer Enji on her first ever UK tour across venues in London, Manchester and Bristol. Following this, she performed at WOMAD, which garnered her support from the Times who labelled her in a list of "rich pickings" from the festival recognising "Enji's exquisite new twist on bossa nova-infused jazz" (The Times).

Cuban cellist and singer Ana Carla Maza creates a beautiful mix of classical cello and vocals, drawing on Cuban son, samba, bossa nova, tango, jazz and chanson.

After working with Ana Carla Maza over the years, we worked with her on her biggest tour yet across the UK to coincide with her latest album release.

Following a sold out 4-show residency at Le 360 in Paris in early 2024, Canadian pianist and composer Tony Ann undertakes his debut tour across Europe. With a global following of over 5 million on social media, Ann has already performed a sold out show at Jazz Cafe, with two more sold out shows at EartH happening in November 2024.

During 2023 - 2024 Kronos Quartet presented their 50th Anniversary Tour, the final shows to feature members John Sherba and Hank Dutt. Each concert featured a major work by Steve Reich, written for Kronos, and then Kronos have created a different programme for each city.

American jazz guitarist and composer Julian Lage returned to London following two sold out Union Chapel shows for his biggest show to date at the Barbican as part of his Speak to Me Tour featuring his trio of Jorge Roader and Dave King.

One of the world’s foremost exponents of the art of vocal jazz, Lizz Wright, performed a show at Cadogan Hall in early 2024, encapsulating an illustrious 20-year career as one of the great modern American singers.

For International Women's Day, we co-commissioned a new composition with 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, along with with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Cassie Kinoshi's seed., NikNak and London Contemporary Orchestra joined together to premiere their brand new composition at the Barbican which took inspiration from women’s role in British music history in the Between the Wars Era.

Following her sold out show at Union Chapel at the start of 2024, Rhiannon Giddens returned to London with another sold out headline show at the Barbican in February to celebrate the release of her first solo album in 6 years, You’re the One.

Critically-acclaimed Japanese taiko performing arts ensemble KODO performed two sold out nights at the Barbican with an epic performance which garnered 5-stars from the Financial Times - “It was the apex of a phenomenal performance by artists who appeared to have moved into a fantastical realm where the usual limits to human endeavour do not apply".

The great guitarist Marc Ribot performed a sold out show with his Ceramic Dog trio featuring Gordon Smith and Shahzad Ismaily. He now returns for the EFG London Jazz Festival 2024 to Cadogan Hall to bring the sounds of Cuba with Y Los Cubanos Postizos

Coinciding with the release of his first studio album in over 8 years, we worked with Ben Folds on his 'What Matters Most Tour' in November 2023, taking place in venues across the UK including London's Royal Albert Hall.

After selling out her EFG London Jazz Festival show in 2023, rising jazz star Samara Joy returned to work with Serious in 2023 for her first ever UK tour, including a London date at the Roundhouse.

Following sell out shows throughout recent years, including his special Christmas show featuring Jarvis Cocker at the Royal Festival Hall and an intimate show at EartH, the Grammy-award winning pianist Chilly Gonzales returns with a headline show to celebrate his new album GONZO at the illustrious Royal Albert Hall.

Platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning trio of Chris Thile, Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins returned with a sold out headline Barbican show to celebrate the release of their first album in 9 years in 2023. This followed two sold out Union Chapel shows, their first London shows in nearly two decades.

Jazz icon Herbie Hancock performed his only UK shows of 2023 at the Barbican with two sold out nights from the Grammy Award-winning, legendary musical innovator.

Having recorded three best-selling solo albums for Warner RIOPY, Tree of Light and Bliss and topping the US Billboard charts for more than 147 weeks, RIOPY embarked on his first ever UK tour ahead of a recording collaboration with Lana Del Rey and the release of his new album, THRIVE. Today, his music has garnered over 860 million streams.

GRAMMY and Peabody Award-winning singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega embarked on an extensive UK tour in 2023, including a Royal Festival Hall show in London.

Mandolinist, singer, and songwriter Chris Thile, who the Guardian calls 'that rare being: an all-round musician who can settle into any style, from bluegrass to classical' and NPR calls a 'genre-defying musical genius', is a founding member of the critically acclaimed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. He performed his UK Tour in November 2022.

The South African vocal powerhouse Ladysmith Black Mambazo performed their first British Isles tour for many years. Since they shot to global stardom on Paul Simon's Graceland album, Mambazo have been recognised as one of the world's great vocal groups. Following the success of their UK tour they returned to perform a sold out show at the Barbican/