ENG-Peter Somuah Artist in Focus 2025 North Sea Round Town Festival

This summer, trumpeter and composer Peter Somuah takes centre stage as the 2025 Artist in Focus at North Sea Round Town. Over the course of the festival, he will present a series of exclusive premieres, new compositions, and unique collaborations, developed especially for this year’s festival edition. Across multiple concerts at distinctive locations throughout Rotterdam, Somuah will explore the full range of his artistry, blending jazz, highlife, and free improvisation with new musical influences and stories.

Unstable Grounds – A Story of History, Identity, and Sound

At the core of Somuah’s programme is the main project Unstable Grounds, a performance that fuses music, dance, and visual art to reflect on the lasting effects of colonisation in Africa and its impact on contemporary society. Somuah describes how its influence is still deeply embedded in education, religion, and societal structures, even in ways people may not always be conscious of. “People think colonialism is history, something from the past, but mentally, the effects are still there. It has shaped everything—how we see ourselves, how we are seen by others.” Through this project, he wants to bring awareness, not through words, but through the emotional language of music.

About Peter Somuah

Somuah was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, where he first picked up the trumpet at a young age. Listening to highlife, Afrobeat, and jazz, he became fascinated by the instrument’s ability to shape melodies that could be both celebratory and introspective. As his musical journey developed, he was drawn to the sounds of artists like Ebo Taylor, Hugh Masekela, and Miles Davis, whose music transcended genres and borders. After relocating to Rotterdam, he found a new home within the city’s vibrant jazz and improvisation scene, where he formed his own band and developed his distinctive sound. His debut album Outer Space won an Edison Jazz Award, marking him as an important voice in the jazz scene. For Somuah, storytelling is at the heart of his music.

“Highlife jazz have traditions about telling stories. It’s about life, about being, about energy. I want people to listen, but also to feel—whether that’s joy, reflection, or something they can’t put into words.”

Special Projects and Collaborations

Alongside the main project Unstable Grounds, Somuah curates a series of concerts that highlight different aspects of his research, story and inspiration. We will announce all projects and accompanying events later on, but here are some of the highlights of Somuah’s trajectory:

The project Songbook of Ebo Taylor revisits the work of the highlife legend whose music shaped his early understanding of melody and groove. “I was born listening to Ebo Taylor on the radio. Then, when I picked up the trumpet, I really started to study his music. Later, I had the chance to perform with him in Paris. That was a full-circle moment.”

Universal Rhythms is a cross-cultural musical dialogue between Ghana and Syria, uncovering the unexpected connections between their musical traditions. Somuah was drawn to the similarities between the kologo, a two-stringed lute from northern Ghana, and the oud, a central instrument in Syrian music. Both traditions use a call-and-response structure, where the instrument echoes the singer’s voice, creating a dialogue between melody and rhythm.“When I first heard Syrian music, I thought—this sounds familiar. The way the oud is used in Syria is so similar to how we play the kologo in northern Ghana. The storytelling, the way the melody moves—it’s connected.”

56 Miles Away is Somuah’s reinterpretation of the electric years of Miles Davis, tracing the trumpeter’s bold sonic experiments from Bitches Brew to On the Corner. Somuah’s connection to Miles Davis’ music goes back to his earliest experiences with jazz: “A friend showed me a video of Miles playing in Paris. He was just walking across the stage, playing one note, waiting a long time, then playing another. But every note had something to say. It wasn’t random—he was intentional. I thought, wow, I want to play like that.”

Throughout the festival, Somuah will collaborate with artists of various musical backgrounds, scenes, and cultures, including among others Ildo Nandja, Dane Paris, Anton de Bruin, Talal Fayad, Sanem Kalfa (Artist in Focus NSRT 2023), and special guests such as Cassie Kinoshi – Mercury Prize-nominated Berlin/London-based composer, arranger and alto-saxophonist known from Kokoroko, Nubya Garcia, and Sons of Kemet.

The projects will be presented in partnership with BIRD, House of Knowledge, WORM and Space is the Place, as well as new, exciting partners and locations to be revealed later. Somuah’s performances will shift from deep, reflective storytelling to high-energy, late-night jams, free improvisation: embracing the full spectrum of jazz and beyond.

NSRT Artist in Focus – A guided trajectory for Musical Experimentation

The Artist in Focus programme is an integral part of North Sea Round Town, offering a platform for musicians to develop and present new work in Rotterdam. Through this programme, Somuah expands his artistic practice, building connections across genres and disciplines while engaging in deep musical exploration.

More programme details will be announced soon, keep an eye on our socials and website- and make sure not to miss any of these one-time specials this summer! You can sign up for our newsletter below.