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Manu Delago and Max ZT: Deuce 

Musician, composer and handpan pioneer Manu Delago returns to Milton Court Concert Hall for a groundbreaking show with Max ZT, performing their forthcoming album Duece (released 20 February on Session Work Records) next year. Together, they form a new duo that reimagines the sonic possibilities of their instruments – the handpan and hammered dulcimer.

Drawing from a lifetime of global collaboration, deep improvisation and refined compositional craft, the two virtuosos create immersive, meditative soundscapes that unfold with both delicacy and drive. Their performance invites listeners into a world that feels both ancient and somehow entirely new – through rhythm, rich texture and open spirit. 

Austrian percussionist and composer Manu Delago has performed in over 50 countries, collaborating with musical pioneers such as Björk, Anoushka Shankar and The Cinematic Orchestra. His award-winning album and film Parasol Peak saw him lead an ensemble of seven musicians on a mountain expedition in the Alps. In 2021, the adventurous musician and composer launched the ReCycling tour, a sustainable concert tour-by-bicycle, on which he, his band and crew cycled 1500km across Europe.  
Dulcimer virtuoso Max ZT, hailed by NPR as “the Jimi Hendrix of the hammered dulcimer,” has redefined the instrument through a lifetime of global study and innovation. Based in Brooklyn, he has absorbed diverse traditions, apprenticing with Senegal’s revered Cissoko Griot family and studying under the legendary Pandit Shivkumar Sharma in India. A founding member of House of Waters, Max has scored an Emmy-winning ESPN documentary and released eight albums on Snarky Puppy’s GroundUP Music label. His latest album OnBecoming was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards.

Together, Manu Delago and Max ZT bring to the Barbican a performance of a brand-new collaboration that eclipses genre and traditions – a meeting of skill, avant-garde and spirit. 

Produced by the Barbican

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Paco de Lucía Legacy: Revolution from Tradition

Flamenco legend Paco de Lucía's most revolutionary ensemble – his second sextet – is celebrated at the Barbican Hall in April 2026. Honouring a work in which de Lucía redefined flamenco in his final years, this special tribute features guest artists Josemi Carmona, Diego del Morao, Chano Domínguez, Sandra Carrasco and others. 
 
Featuring both a contemporary reinterpretation of his classic repertoire as well as original compositions the performance will highlight Paco de Lucía’s musical and artistic legacy carried forward by new generations. More than just a tribute to the past though, the concert projects his legacy into the future, driving the evolution of flamenco and connecting with new audiences and artists around the globe. 
 
Helping to tell this story and connect new audiences to flamenco is David de Jacoba, the renowned flamenco vocalist and final singer of Paco de Lucía’s iconic septet  – bringing the spirit of the maestro’s music to life again. He is joined by Josemi Carmona on guitar and singer Sandra Carrasco, whose unique vocals integrate influences from jazz and bossa nova. The all-star ensemble is completed by acclaimed composer and pianist Chano Domínguez who brings a fusion of jazz and flamenco alongside the soul-stirring voice of singer Duquende, whose deep, authentic sound captures the very essence of Spain.  

Produced by the Barbican

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Louis VI: NATURE AIN’T A LUXURY

Back due to popular demand, musician and zoologist Louis VI’s sound installation and exhibition NATURE AIN’T A LUXURY returns to the Barbican Conservatory on 6 & 7 December, hot on the heels of its first iteration in October. Designed to reset our connection to the natural world through sound and to show audiences that listening to the natural world is fundamental to humanity, Louis VI has recorded some of the most biodiverse ecosystems left on our planet to present in one of the most biodiversity-depleted cities on Earth.   

Growing up in London, British-Dominican-French artist Louis J. Butler realised, with over 55% of humans living in cities, we were subjecting ourselves to an absence of natural sound and sought to understand and demonstrate the effects of this on our quality of life. Louis travelled to three indigenously stewarded ecosystems: Sarayaku, Kichwa nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon (as it is today known), Raja Ampat in West Papua, and Waitukubuli (Dominica) in the Caribbean to record hundreds of hours of immersive 360° audio using microphones modelled on human hearing. Capturing each environment at its most vibrant, he now brings these soundscapes to the Barbican Conservatory, inviting audiences to reconnect with nature while placing a vivid sense of life in the heart of London’s “concrete jungle.”

The acoustic landscapes recorded will transport listeners to these three locations as they move freely through the Conservatory’s dense foliage, with the sounds relayed through wireless headphones. Visitors are encouraged to explore, to listen and to imagine a future world where this symphony of nature again becomes commonplace.

Each visit offers a unique listening experience shaped by the time of day and route taken through the space – resetting expectations of what a healthy environment sounds like and drawing attention to the loss of natural sound in everyday urban life. 

Presented within a space shaped by the Victorian legacy of tropical botanical houses, once symbols of both wonder and control, the exhibition reimagines the Conservatory through sound. By bringing the living voices of these ecosystems into a setting filled with plants from their regions, the work challenges colonial histories, reawakens our connection to the natural world, and encourages a deeper reflection on how humanity can rebuild its relationship with nature. 

Following the success of two sold-out events in October 2025, there will be an additional two live performances from Louis VI and his full band using the field recordings he’s captured in the music, which, in collaboration with SoundsRight – a project from Brian Eno’s charity EarthPercent, formally credits NATURE itself as an artist. For more information visit natureaintaluxury.com.

NATURE AIN'T A LUXURY is part of the Barbican’s major new concert series: Fragile Earth: Sounds of a Living Planet, a season-long musical exploration of our relationship with the natural world.

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Fragile Earth

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