Aga Khan Master Musicians & Friends
Celebrate music of the Great East as a stellar line-up of musicians come together to kick off a global music takeover weekend.
The Aga Khan Master Musicians are an ensemble of visionary performers and composers, each devoted to reimagining the musical heritage of their culture through bold, contemporary expression.
Experience an unforgettable evening of musical innovation that culminates in a performance by the Aga Khan Master Musicians, who join forces with French jazz luminary Vincent Peirani (accordion) and Grammy Award–winner Michael League (guitar), with a special appearance by AKMA 2025 Winner Hamid El Kasri with The Gnawa Kouyous and Karim Ziad (drums).
The Aga Khan Master Musicians (AKMM) are Wu Man (pipa), Basel Rajoub (saxophones and duclar), Feras Charestan (qanun), Yurdal Tokcan (oud) and Abbos Kosimov (doira and percussion).
The first part of the evening features the presentation of the Patron’s Award AKMA 2025 and performances by the laureates: qawwali by the Warsi Brothers, and qawwali and khayal by the Saami Brothers, featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami.
In this gathering of exceptional artistry, boundaries dissolve and traditions intertwine, offering a thrilling musical journey where East meets West, the ancient meets the avant-garde, and new creations are born in the moment.
This concert is curated by the Aga Khan Music Awards 2025 in collaboration with EFG London Jazz Festival and celebrates outstanding musical creativity inspired by cultural heritage across the world.
Need to know
An exclusive box package is available, which includes:
- Hire of a private box (seats up to eight people).
- Use of the Royal Retiring Room, a private lounge with its own toilet facilities, for the duration of the event.
- One free drink per guest on arrival (prosecco, wine, beer or soft drink).
- Dedicated host to take drinks orders throughout the event.
At this event, professional filming and photography is taking place, including with the audience in the background. If you have any concerns about this, please speak to a member of staff.
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.