Guildhall Jazz Festival: Afternoon Showcases
- from 2pm
About this event:
- Category:
- Guildhall Jazz Festival | Jazz
- Event type:
- Free | In-person
- Admission:
- Free No tickets required
- Location:
- Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Festival x EFG London Jazz Festival: Afternoon Showcases
Don’t miss this showcase of rising jazz innovators: the soulful elegance of Lucy Joy and Thomas Sladden, the rhythmically adventurous Olesa Quintet, and Lior Solomons-Wise’s lyrical, genre-crossing compositions – all spotlighting the next wave of UK jazz talent.
Part of the School’s annual Jazz Festival, presented in partnership with EFG London Jazz Festival, celebrating the creativity and originality of the Guildhall Jazz community.
Scroll down to view the full line up for this event.
Line up
Fri 21 Nov 2025, from 2pm
All events are free, no tickets required - just turn up to Milton Court Concert Hall!
2pm
Lucy Joy and Thomas Sladden
3pm
Olesa Quintet
4pm
Lior Solomons-Wise Quartet
Each performance is approx. 45 mins
About the artists
Lucy Joy voice
Thomas Sladden piano
“Both exciting talents who understand the music… creating content that has real attention to detail, depth and is also highly entertaining”, says pianist Barry Green about Lucy Joy and Thomas Sladden, an up and coming jazz duo based in London.
They are currently studying jazz at Guildhall School, performing a combination of luscious, sensitively interpreted standards and soaring, melodic original material. Influences range from Oscar Peterson to Blossom Dearie, from Cecile McLorin Salvant to Kurt Elling, all imaginatively drawn into a soulful, lyrical sound. Come and listen and they will draw you into their world.
Olesa Zgurskaia vocal
Louis Gascoyne bass
Frank Hawkes drums
TBA clarinet
TBA piano
The Olesa Quintet is a London-based contemporary jazz group led by Russian musician Olesa - a jazz vocalist, pianist and double bassist. The band explores modal and contemporary jazz through original compositions and inventive arrangements, with a strong focus on rhythmic complexity. Their sound is exploratory, modern, and pushes the edges of the jazz tradition.
Lior Solomons-Wise piano
George Johnson tenor saxophone
Sacha Harlan drums
TBA double bass
Featuring some of London's most promising young jazz talents, audiences can expect to be taken on a musical journey as Lior’s compositions weave simple yet beautiful melodies through enchanting harmonic explorations. Drawing from a diverse palette of influences, including elements of folk and contemporary jazz, the quartet creates a sound that is both familiar and refreshingly new. Influences include Geri Allen, John Taylor and Bobo Stenson. Lior's compositions reflect a deep awareness of jazz traditions while exploring the boundaries of the genre, resulting in a performance that promises to be both accessible and intellectually stimulating.
In 2023 Lior was awarded the Dankworth Prize for Jazz composition in the small ensemble category. His winning composition ‘Mortar’ was performed by the Guildhall Jazz Orchestra in March 2024. As a performer, he has graced numerous prestigious venues across the UK, including EFG Jazz festival appearances, the 606 Club, Pizza Express Dean Street and the Vortex Jazz Club.
Artist photos
Lucy Joy and Thomas Sladden
Olesa Zgurskaia
Lior Solomons-Wise Quartet
This event is part of the 2025 Guildhall Jazz Festival in partnership with EFG London Jazz Festival - five days of electrifying jazz at Milton Court.
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Venue information
Milton Court, based across the road from our Silk Street building, provides the School with world-class performance and training spaces, including a state of the art concert hall, a lyric theatre, a studio theatre and several major rehearsal rooms.
- Milton Court, 1 Milton Street, London, EC2Y 9BH
