By Ayo Onikoyi Gospel saxophonist Funmi Sax is set to return to the stage on October 24, 2026, with a new concert, Funmi Sax Live in Concert: Praise Feast Mandate, after a nine-year hiatus she described as a period of spiritual preparation. The concert marks a departure from her annual Art of Worship series, which ran from 2008 to 2017 before she withdrew from public ministry.
Speaking ahead of the event, Funmi Sax said her return was not a personal decision but a divine instruction that required a change in the focus and identity of her concert. “After 2017, I stepped back to be built, broken, pruned, and deepened in God. It was a pruning season,” she said. “The return was not my decision; it was an instruction. The rebranding became necessary because the assignment has changed.
Art of Worship taught us how to worship; Praise Feast Mandate is why and when we must worship now. It carries more weight and urgency.” Anchored on Psalm 34:1 and Isaiah 25:6, the concert is conceived as a spiritual gathering centred on praise, healing, restoration and encounters with God, rather than physical feasting. The event will feature gospel ministers, including Oluwatomi, Elijah Daniel, Tee Praize, Ernieola Olusoga, Teimibelle, Chigozie Wisdom, Esther Oji and Dare Justified.
According to the saxophonist, the selection of the guest ministers was guided by spiritual conviction rather than popularity. “It was not by popularity, but by purpose and leading of the Holy Spirit,” she said. “Each minister carries a unique sound and a consistent life of worship. I prayed, listened, and God aligned us.
These are voices proven in the place of intimacy, and together they complete the sound heaven wants to release over Lagos that night.” The concert is expected to feature spontaneous musical collaborations, prophetic saxophone interludes