Mercury nominee heads to Leeds Jazz Festival

A Mercury Prize-nominated musician is set to bring a special solo performance to Leeds as part of this year’s jazz festival programme.

International composer and keyboard player Kit Downes will perform at the Grade II-listed Mill Hill Chapel in Leeds on May 25 ahead of the release of his upcoming album, Southern Bodies.

The intimate show will feature Downes performing solo on the organ, offering audiences an early preview of material from the album before its release later this year through acclaimed record label ECM.

Born in Norwich and now based in Berlin, Downes has built an international reputation across both jazz and classical music, performing worldwide on piano, church organ and harmonium.

The musician received a Mercury Prize nomination for his debut album Golden and has since won a BBC Jazz Award and a Deutscher Jazzpreis.

He was also named winner of the Paul Acket Award at the 2024 North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, recognising artists deserving wider international recognition.

Alongside performing, Downes is a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music, where he previously studied and now teaches.

His forthcoming album Southern Bodies features collaborations with renowned jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, cellist Lucy Railton and the St Paul’s Orchestra in Minneapolis.

Organisers say the Leeds performance will offer music fans a rare opportunity to experience the acclaimed artist in an intimate setting ahead of the album’s official launch later this year.

Event promoter Sol Christopher said: “Kit Downes is an outstanding composer and performer with a global reputation for his improvisational approach across jazz, contemporary and classical music, and for the depth of creativity he brings to performances on the church organ.

“Being able to welcome an artist of this quality to Leeds is a real coup for the festival and the city, and having the chance to hear him play in the beautiful Mill Hill Chapel will be an absolutely unforgettable experience.”

Tickets for Kit Downes’ Mill Hill Chapel concert at 7:30pm on Monday, May 25 are available here.

Want your business, product or service to be seen regionally and nationally? Bdaily helps you get your story in front of the right audience, every day. Find out how Bdaily can help →

Join more than 55,000 subscribers by signing up to our daily bulletin each morning here.