"2025 was a remarkable year for Citizens of the World Choir, and one that reminded me just how far we have come, musically and as a community.
From standing in front of 100,000 people on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, conducting the choir in the recording studio and celebrating the release of our first album, to watching our displaced member take on more responsibility as we increase our paid employment opportunities, I am so proud of everything we have achieved. Alongside our performances, we've been investing time in learning more about trauma informed ways to use music as healing tool, we've formalised our Advisory Board, meaning our decisions are guided by our members, and we've started a training choir, so we can welcome and support more people."
Our debut album, Echo of Your Voice was released on all streaming services Listen here
We sang in 6 languages: English, Zulu, Swahili, Arabic, Yoruba and Farsi
We arranged and learnt 9 new songs
Appeared on Ed Sheeran’s album Play, including the number one, BRIT nominated song, Azizam Listen here
Welcomed 8 new singers
Welcomed back 49 members of our community
Increased our support for our members, including travel, food, emergency support and digital access
Started a training choir, allowing more people to experience the transformative power of music is a relaxed setting
We formalised our Advisory Board and increased the number of paid roles for our displaced members
Performed live in-front of 123,000 people on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage
1 million people watched us on Songs of Praise on BBC One
Opened for Basement Jaxx in London at their first live show in ten years
Instagram postDisplaced members represent 50% of our choir. They bring their talent, their experience and a willingness to share their culture. Through singing, people can be supported to heal from trauma, and in weekly rehearsals we have built a community based on friendship, respect and support.
“Singing in the Parliament as a displaced member helps me to feel connected to the UK society, and it’s helping me to put my trauma in the past.”
Displaced members are vital to our decision making. In 2025 we were proud to formalised our Advisory Board, allowing our members to input their expertise and experience to help shape decisions.
Allied members are people who call London home. They represent the kindness that we see across the city and are role models to inspire others to invest in others.
“The choir is a special place, supportive of individual needs, including creative contributions from the group. I feel I can express myself and also be a voice for others. It is truly unique and sets an example of how communities should and could be.”
Allied members are a vital part of our community and support. They welcome people to the community, show how kind the UK can be and offer practical support at events. Without them taking 60 people to Glastonbury would be impossible!
The music team ensure that the choir is a professional organisation based on musical excellence.
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The dedication and professionalism of the music team allows the choir to perform at the highest standards - in Parliament, at festivals, on TV and at local events - ensuring our members are proud and confident representing their community and showcasing their musical skills.
We want to ensure that our members are supported to be confident and feel safe when rehearsing and performing. In 2025 we increased our pastoral care team, offering paid roles for displaced members, including a welcome team and swap shop team at rehearsals, and practical support during performances.
We’ve invested in ensuring that the team understands how music can support healing and our members nervous systems. Many of our members live with trauma on a daily basis. We believe that music helps us heal, especially singing together, and through staff training delivered by expert Darren Abrahams and workshops with the choir we are invested in making sure that this is done effectively and correctly.
A key development in 2025 has been piloting a Training Choir. This offers a place for people who might not have much singing experience, or are looking to learn new skills and meet new people but do not feel ready to join a performing choir. In 2025 our music team ran 5 rehearsals and one performance for our new members. In 2026 the Training Choir will be formalised into our programme, and will be part of the pathway to the main choir.
Some of the feedback from our members:
“Being part of this choir stopped me from getting depressed and allowed me to be part of people that act as my family.”
“Being engaged more in singing has given me more happier life. I never imagine that I will ever perform in front of anyone in my life. COTW choir has given me platform on many occasions to perform in an audience this is a life changes for me.”
"The choir improved my mental well-being and I am always looking forward to our rehearsal day both in person and online because it reduces my stress and also gives me joy."
In 2025 COTW recorded and released our first album. This is a pivotal moment for the choir, allowing our members to take the skills they have learnt in to a professional recording studio, as well as allowing the choir to share our music with a wider audience and showcases our diverse repertoire. Echo of Your Voice is available on Spotify and all major streaming platforms.
Listen on SpotifySeeing Citizens of the World Choir live is where we can really change hearts and minds alongside ensuring our members understand that they are valued members of society in the UK. Our members describe performances at Glastonbury as life changing, and speak of the the honour of performing in Parliament, places they never expected to be taking a role in when they first came to the UK.
2025 was an incredible year that allowed us to share the joy of singing together and present the choir as talented individuals working together to create something extraordinary. In 2025 we performed in front of the community in Greenwich, strengthening local connections, at South Facing Festival supporting Basement Jaxx, and we filmed a video at the historic Glastonbury Tor thanks to our partnership with the National Trust. These are just some highlights of a really busy year, alongside our annual concerts in Parliament for Refugee Week, and our Winter concert at our the choir's home, Mycenae House.
"I just saw you play here at South Facing festival and wanted to let you know how great I thought you were. To see you all smiling and hear your beautiful voices, I found it incredibly inspiring and it’s given me a push to try and make the world a better place however I can.”
In May we came in front of the local community for the Mayor’s inauguration. Being asked to be part of this day was a great recognition of our role in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, which has now become a Borough of Sanctuary, a scheme that we are proud to be supporting.
Refugee Week is growing in size and influence each year. The first part of our celebrations were with our incredible partners, Protein Dance. Joining them in Woolwich, we performed at their annual dance event, bringing music and songs to the audience of local community members and displaced people who have found community in the borough.
A key aim of the choir is to support changing the narrative on refugees, and help people to challenge their preconceptions. We want to show that refugees and other displaced people are often talented individuals who contribute to the communties they join. National venues and festivals allow us to reach new audiences, and ensures that refugees are welcome in the places that are shaping the musical landscape of the UK.
Being asked to perform on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for the second time was an incredible honour and speaks to the reputation the choir have been building as joyful performers and a professional organisation. The time and effort we have been putting in to ensure that we have a solid pastoral care team and that our members trust us to take them to large events like this safely, mean we were able to bring a full choir for a life changing experience.
The Barbican is a flagship venue in the UK’s arts scene. Performing at the British Red Cross dinner allowed us to use our messages of hope and inclusivity to support our partners, and helped to develop our reputation within one of the most important venues in the UK. We continue to build partnerships with institutions such as this and reach new audiences as we move into 2026.
In July 2025 Grammy winning electronic duo Basement Jaxx played their first live show in ten years. We took our music to their fans at Crystal Palace Bowl as a support act with a joyful performance that included the first live performance of We Will Sing, a song written for us by Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton. Felix introduced the choir to his fans, and told them how important it is when people come together and sing.
“Seeing them open for the Basement Jaxx Crystal Bowl shows this summer filled me with joy…. Isn’t it amazing that when we start singing together all our hearts start to align and beat in time. This choir is a positive emblem of the joy we can find together within humanity.”