Nu Civilisation Orchestra: The Stuart Hall Project
Experience a powerful fusion of film, music, and cultural history, as Tomorrow’s Warriors presents John Akomfrah’s ‘The Stuart Hall Project’ with Miles Davis’ soundtrack performed live.
100 years since the birth of Miles Davis, Peter Edwards and a five‑piece Nu Civilisation Orchestra Ensemble, featuring Mark Kavuma on trumpet, honour the jazz legend. John Akomfrah’s acclaimed 2013 documentary paints a portrait of Stuart Hall. The pioneering thinker and co‑founder of New Left Review is one of the most influential voices in British Cultural Studies. Layered with archival footage and Hall’s own reflections, the film explores identity, race, and belonging in a changing world.
Hall once remarked, ‘When I ask people where they’re from, I expect to be told an extremely long story.’ His lifelong exploration of identity finds a powerful counterpart in the shifting musical eras of Miles Davis, performed live to illuminate each chapter of Hall’s journey.
More than an accompaniment, the NCO Ensemble’s performance becomes an integral part of the experience. It deepens the film’s resonance and creates a vivid dialogue between music, ideas, and cultural change.
Join us at 7pm for a pre-concert talk to discuss Stuart Hall’s legacy.
About Nu Civilisation Orchestra
Founded in 2008 by Gary Crosby OBE and led by Musical Director Peter Edwards, Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO) has built a reputation as a bold, shape‑shifting ensemble that reinvents itself with every project.
NCO has performed across the UK, including a BBC Proms debut in 2019 and a major 2021 national tour celebrating Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’. Since then, the Orchestra has delivered much-praised reinterpretations of Ellington’s ‘Queen’s Suite’, Joni Mitchell’s ‘Hejira’ and ‘Mingus’, Bowie’s ‘Aladdin Sane’, and Stan Getz’s ‘Focus’ with saxophonist Nubya Garcia.
Recent highlights include collaborations with Clod Ensemble on Mingus’ ‘The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady’. They joined Chaka Khan at the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival, and performed with Arthur Verocai at the Barbican.
Last year, performances spanned a Nina Simone celebration (‘Mississippi Goddamn’), a four‑night Barbican reprise of ‘The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady’, and a major Harlem Renaissance programme featuring a new commission, ‘The Blackbird and the Duke’, alongside Ellington classics.
Amplified performance
7pm – 7:40pm Pre concert talk
Band A: £30 (£27 Friends*)
Band B: £25 (£22.5 Friends*)
Band C: £10 (£9 Friends*)
Students and Under 18s: £10 (Bands B and C)
Schools £10
* Friends membership benefits may vary.
For full offer details see Booking tickets >
