Interviews

It is rare to encounter a voice like Ledisi’s – one capable of moving across eras and genres with such natural ease and elegance, while remaining deeply rooted in the most profound African-American tradition. On 17 January 2026 in Lugano, the vocalist took to the stage alongside the Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley to pay tribute to a figure who represents far more than a name in music history: Nina Simone – a composer, pianist, activist, priestess of pain and redemption. To engage with her repertoire does not simply mean performing memorable songs – it means bearing, if only for one evening, the weight of an emotional and political legacy. Born in New Orleans and raised in Oakland, California, the daughter of two soul singers and the granddaughter – on her mother’s side – of a drummer and – on her father’s side – of the famed but ill-fated […]