News

London has taken part in the 2025 Jazz Relay, in celebration of the UNESCO International Jazz Day on April 30th. Read the press release for full details.

Jazz Day Relay 2025: Learning for Lasting Peace

LONDON, April 29, 2025 – The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) announces a new collaborative music video to celebrate International Jazz Day on April 30, 2025 while raising awareness for Sustainable Development Goal #4 - Quality Education.

Twenty-One (21) UNESCO Cities of Music from the global UCCN have produced a collaborative video featuring the song ‘3:23 am’ by Adelaide, Australian composer Mark Simeon Ferguson. The composition focuses on the theme of Learning for Lasting Peace while bringing awareness to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals #4 – Quality Education. UCCN partners engaged their young creatives and musicians in a project built of solidarity, creativity and resilience. 

The video makes its world premiere Wednesday April 30th at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time.

Each participating City has created a special Jazz Day video based on Mark Ferguson’s original track, “3:23 am”. London’s video will also premiere alongside the full Jazz Day Relay, London’s video can be found here.

The video travels across six (6) continents featuring twenty-one (21) UNESCO Cities of Music including:

1. Adelaide, Australia
2. Ambon, Indonesia
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Bolzano, Italy
5. Bydgoszcz, Poland
6. Concepción, Chile
7. Daegu, South Korea
8. Ghent, Belgium
9. Glasgow, Scotland
10. Hamamatsu, Japan
11. Hannover, Germany
12. Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
13. Kansas City, USA
14. Katowice, Poland
15. Leiria, Portugal
16. Liverpool, England
17. Llíria, Spain
18. London, Canada
19. Mannheim, Germany
20. Metz, France
21. Morelia, Mexico

The song was inspired by a transformative educational jazz tour in regional South Australia, reflecting key themes from the 2025 UNESCO International Day of Education such as gender equity, cultural inclusion, access to education, and climate action. Written in the quiet early hours during a tour with third-year jazz students, the piece captures the emotional and social resonance of their experience—engaging diverse communities, nurturing young talent and highlighting the shifting landscape of a region in environmental and cultural transition.

This year’s video was produced by the cities of Adelaide (Australia), London (Canada) and Kansas City (USA).

To further celebrate International Jazz Day, London Jazz Festival and London Music Office have welcomed Bydgoszcz Jazz Academy from fellow UNESCO City of Music Bydgoszcz, Poland. The group will perform Wednesday April 30^th alongside Seth McNall Sextet for the final night of the month long celebration at Highland Country Club.

“London continues to position music as part of the solution. By placing a lens of music on an issue, creative solutions are introduced to ongoing challenges. The climate emergency we all face impacts every human’s day to day existence. This relay is a collaborative effort reinforcing the importance of the UNs Sustainable Develop Goals (SDG) and in this instance, SDG #13 – Climate Action.”  

- Cory Crossman (Director, London Music Office & London UNESCO City of Music Focal Point)

UNESCO Creative Cities of Music Links
Website: www.citiesofmusic.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/citiesofmusic
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC4PKWuKMPz8fDfJmq_D1NvQ

###

Media Contact:
Cory Crossman, Director, London Music Office & London UNESCO City of Music Focal Point
226.268.5261 | ccrosma@london.ca    

About UNESCO Cities of Music
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The network encompasses seven different creative fields: Music, Literature, Film Media Arts, Design, Gastronomy, and Craft & Folk Arts. The 350 cities around the world which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level. There are currently 75 cities that comprise the Music subnetwork.

About the London Music Office
The London Music Office, a division of Tourism London, creates conditions for the music industry to thrive and grow while acting as a liaison between City Hall and the music community in London. The London Music Office also serves as the Focal Point for London’s UNESCO City of Music designation.

About Tourism London 
Tourism London, the city’s destination marketing organization since 1996, is a trailblazer in developing real experiences, promoting its vibrant and diverse visitor destination and attracting and hosting people with warm, genuine hospitality. We enhance the reputation of our city and grow the resilience of our sustainable tourism ecosystem by driving tourism visits and spending, collaborating with industry partners and enriching our community.

Check out all of the participating cities full videos here!