Sidiki Dembélé and Nwando Ebizie © Mike Skelton

The Tung Auditorium Announce its Autumn 2026 Season

The University of Liverpool’s concert hall, The Tung Auditorium, has released its Autumn-Winter 2026 season, marking the 10th programme and brochure since opening in 2022! As ever, the season is shaping up to be another incredibly diverse lineup of live music, art and performanceShining a spotlight on international artists and diverse genres, The Tung Auditorium partners with African Night Fever and Africa Oyé to present a special collaboration between Mali’s legendary guitarist, singer and composer Habib Koité, and charismatic Gambian kora maestro, Sura Susso. Presenting new music from their upcoming album Manding Melodies, Koité and Susso - both internationally celebrated and modern griots - delve into the rich heritage of traditional Manding folk tales and songs, reinterpreting them for contemporary audiences. Their creative approach honours the roots and legacy of the griot tradition while forging new musical expressions that speak to the diaspora and younger generations.

Habib Koité & Sura Susso

Returning for Autumn 2026, Manchester Collective collaborate with percussionist Sidiki Dembélé and his band for Constellations. Dembélé will present a joyful musical journey of folksong and storytelling from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal, while Manchester Collective’s violinist Rakhi Singh breathes new life into familiar classical pieces. The ensemble will also be complemented by new works from composer and multidisciplinary artist Nwando Ebizie, filtered through her very own Afrofuturist vision and sonic rituals, hurtling us into the future. The Tung Auditorium’s longstanding partnership with Milap also continues this Autumn, as incredible sitarist Roopa Panesar makes her Tung debut alongside Merseyside’s favourite tabla maestro, Kousic Sen. Originally collaborating on Roopa’s debut album Khoj in 2011, the pair continue to create a musical dialogue onstage that is both incredibly nuanced and striking in its versatility.

Roopa Panesar

This Autumn, the season will see an exciting fusion of music & the wider arts in a variety of capacities…In September, The Tung Auditorium welcomes the Institute of Irish Studies from The University of Liverpool for the Beckett: Lieben 2026 festival. The Six Paintings concert explores the interplay between visual art and music, through the story of Samuel Beckett’s travels to Germany when he came face to face with German expressionism for the very first time. Bringing together six of the world’s leading musicians - Iarla Ó Lionáird (voice and electronics), Michelle O’Rourke (voice), Cheng Yu (guqin), Niwel Tsumbu and Benjamin Dwyer (guitars), and Mary Dullea (piano) - the ensemble will respond to six paintings that each play a role in this complex story, alongside Samuel Beckett’s impressions and writings narrated by Anna Nygh.

Beckett: Lieben 2026 - The Six Paintings

Shattering the boundaries between concert hall and cinema, the silent film Metropolis is given a theatrical rock workout by award-winning ensemble Vox Lumiere in September. Expect an explosive live music experience, with thrilling original new music, a live band and powerhouse vocals. Then in October, Divine Intimacies by Tangram combines music, philosophy and a multi-faceted art installation in a mesmerising exploration of the earliest texts of Chinese philosophy. During the performance, the musicians will be surrounded by both visualisations of the I-Ching, generated in real time by visual artist Chang Meng and a responsive LED art installation by Ke Peng. The concert will be an array of colour, sound and light - a true multi-sensory experience.