London Oratorio
Feel the buzz of a city rich with diverse languages and musical cultures. An ode to the capital, Es Devlin’s larger-than-life choral work soars with the voices of hundreds.
Conceived by the visionary artist and designer Es Devlin this new live oratorio brings the nation’s capital to life at full volume, through the diverse voices and cultures of hundreds of singers from dozens of the city’s choirs.
The large-scale choral work, devised in collaboration with composer and performer Kieran Brunt, is rooted in Devlin’s experience of being a Londoner.
Over 300 languages are spoken in London, making it one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. Participating choirs in London Oratorio are representing many of the city’s language and music traditions, from Balkan and Gospel to African, Bulgarian, Arabic, Hebrew and Nordic traditions.
London Oratorio brings together these languages, musical cultures and voices in a piece of belonging and collective identity, inviting you to feel part of something larger. It is a powerful celebration of diversity, unity and the shared experience of living together in the city.
Hear choral compositions developed with Devlin’s long-term collaborators Polyphonia, as well as with contributions from a number of artistic co-authors.
This project also celebrates the Southbank Centre’s long history of massed, participatory singing and the power of the human voice, working with professional and amateur singers alongside each other, with a message of solidarity and joy with all communities.
Need to know
Box package
You can buy an exclusive box package for this event. More details of our Royal Festival Hall exclusive box package.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
19 Sep 2026
Run time
1 hour (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £20 + £4 booking fee
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
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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.