Branford Marsalis and Julian Joseph at RNCM

The UK’s biggest annual sax gathering returns, and in its 25th anniversary year the festival is headlined by one of the most influential figures in jazz and classical saxophone today: Branford Marsalis.

In a rare Manchester appearance, the three-time GRAMMY Award winner shares the stage with celebrated British pianist Julian Joseph. Friends as well as collaborators, the pair come together for a set defined by spontaneity, virtuosity and risk-taking; a conversation in sound, shaped in the moment.

Marsalis has spent more than four decades at the forefront of international jazz while also making his mark in classical music, film and Broadway. His playing is distinguished by a burnished tone, razor-sharp phrasing and an unshakeable sense of swing – qualities that carry seamlessly from the intimacy of his quartet to the expanse of symphony halls. Artistic Director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans, he has worked with everyone from Sting and the Grateful Dead to orchestras worldwide, balancing boundary-crossing curiosity with deep respect for tradition.

Julian Joseph, meanwhile, is a cornerstone of British jazz, admired as a pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. His music is steeped in the jazz tradition yet open to new forms, from orchestral suites and opera to big-band re-imaginings and collaborations across dance and theatre. A lyrical improviser with rhythmic bite, he has championed jazz on stage and on air while also pushing it into schools and communities, making him both an ambassador for the music and one of its most compelling practitioners.

Beyond this headline set, Saxophone Day offers a packed programme of workshops, performances and massed ensembles, curated by RNCM Professor of Saxophone, Andy Scott. From the legendary Massed Saxophone Orchestra to a special spotlight performance by Saxophone Orchestra Manchester, it’s a vibrant 25th-anniversary edition of the UK’s biggest annual sax gathering – a day where players, students and enthusiasts come together in celebration of the instrument.

Part of the RNCM’s Autumn Season.