With the support of B:Music, Celebrating Sanctuary’s annual World Music and Arts Festival returns to the iconic Symphony Hall. Bringing people together to celebrate and experience the culture, arts and stories of refugees and migrant communities through a universal appreciation of music, joy and life.
This year’s Refugee Week Festival will bring music and arts from around the world, showcasing the work of highly acclaimed, UK based refugee and migrant artists. With musicians from Haiti, Iran, France / DR Congo, we promise you will leave happier and more inspired than when you arrived.
Babak Aria – is a musician and singer originally from Iran. He plays the traditional Tanbour, and sings in Farsi, kurdish, Turkish and English, with a captivating voice. Babak is a song writer, composer and performer and has performed across the UK. He performs regularly with Maison Foo, was involved with the Derby Bach Choir, and has collaborated with musicians from many different backgrounds during his time in the UK. We are delighted to invite Babak back to Symphony Hall to present his traditional & contemporary Iranian music.
Germa Adan – blends her Haitian roots into borderless music, shaped by her journey from Haiti to the US and UK. Known for storytelling and social consciousness, her second album, ‘Borderlines & Bloodlines,’ delves into ancestry, draws from literature, and reflects on Haitian identity. Germa’s music invites us on a journey of self-discovery and collective empowerment. ‘Sounds unlike anything else out there’ – Songlines
Germa has been a regular contributor to Celebrating Sanctuary’s programme, having performed as a solo, duet and larger ensembles, also as part of an artist collaboration “Birmingham Passage” with Xhosa Cole. We are delighted to welcome Germa back a solo artist to perform music from ‘Borderlines & Bloodlines’.
Queen Lilas – formerly known as Lilas Lafleur, was born and raised in Paris to Congolese parents. Her music is positive and from the heart. She is a gifted and accomplished musician, composer and producer who plays piano, guitar, percusssion and more. Lilas was trained by her uncle and highly respected Zoukous artist, Diblo Dibala, a Congolese musician, known as “Machine Gun” for his speed and skill on the guitar. In recent years, Lilas has performed and recorded with him as a backing singer.
Lilas supported R&B superstar, Ne-Yo at his sell-out North East England After Party in Sunderland in 2009, and has performed at various venues and festivals around the UK such as ‘Taste of Africa’ (Middlesborough), ‘L’Afrique Festival’ (Newcastle). She recorded and released songs as a featured artist with Roc Nation / Sony RCA artist K Koke. Over the last 3-4 years Lilas has spent time producing, writing and arranging her album, “Ntoto” released in October 2023, and TIYA in March 2025, also performing extensively across the UK. We are delighted to welcome Lilas back with her band of accomplished musicians, to share her exciting, fresh and modern music. Guaranteed to get you dancing!
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