Grounded in the vibrant sounds of gospel and jazz, Lucy-Anne Daniels is a vivid storyteller, creative improviser, and fierce performer. With ‘a voice mature beyond her years’ (The Scotsman, Jim Gilchrist), Lucy-Anne’s effortless control of melody and powerful interpretation of lyric, invite you to partake in a musical communion. For this performance, she debuts a fresh body of work inspired by texts from Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, intertwined with traditional music from her Nigerian heritage and beloved songs by Black British and American artists.

Pulling on influences from Betty Carter and contemporaries like Moses Sumney and Cecile Mclorin Salvant, Lucy-Anne continues to explore her sound and artistry; already dazzling audiences across the UK and further afield in Paris at Duc de Lombards and Dizzy’s in New York. At just twenty-one, she is boldly making her mark on the UK Jazz scene and beyond.

Tom Harris is a northern pianist, composer, theatre-maker, and educator. They try their best to make interesting work with kind people, and want to share it with as many folks as possible!

Since dropping out of formal music education in 2018, Tom has developed their practice through collaborative work with artists across a range of disciplines; dancers, poets, visual artists, puppeteers, videographers, and actors. During this time they have performed alongside great musicians such as Nishla Smith, Rachael Cohen, Jean Toussaint, Rosie Tee, and Marco Woolf.

Tom’s debut album - Buddleia - was released independently in November 2023. This collection of original songs explores mental health, nature, gender, vulnerability, growth, hope, acceptance, and joy - all filtered through the musical influence of Tom’s favourite artists (including Nina Simone, Snowpoet, and Cécile McLorin Salvant).

As an educator, Tom is passionate about spreading a love of both playing and listening to music. They believes that core musical skills can be taught through any style of music, and that the best results come from following students’ own tastes and preferences. They also encourage students to examine the role of art and music in society more broadly.

Tom is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line 2024-2025 roster, and working on new music with a range of collaborators. They are also running a private teaching studio, facilitating group composition workshops, and teaching musicianship and improvisation at Yorkshire Young Musicians.

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Introducing our Summer Festival 2025: Voices of the North. From Friday 27th June to Friday 4th July, we'll be welcoming singers from the North of the UK across a variety of vocal music genres, including opera, art song, folk, jazz, soul, and musical theatre.

For the 3rd and 4th of July, our Concert Hall will be transformed into an intimate performance space for a new concert experience. Seating will be on round, cabaret style tables, with ambient lighting, nibbles, and a place to hold your drinks while you enjoy the musical offerings on stage.

This summer we're trialing going digital for our programmes. As part of the School of Music, and the wider University's commitment to sustainability, we'll be hosting our programmes online only to reduce the amount of printing produced by the Concert Series. Full programme details will be available online and links to find this information will be available via email and on screens around the building.

All events will be ticketed, with tickets available to be booked online, with limited numbers of tickets available on the door on the day. Booking opens on Friday 30th May. Friday lunchtime concerts are free or pay as you feel. Other events are priced individually. All events are free for students.

Excited to see the full lineup? We'll be releasing full programme details via our newsletter and social media throughout May and June. Our festival is the perfect blend of tradition and innovation, with concerts in a variety of genres and formats to cater to all audiences.