Harmony Collective

What is The Harmony Collective?

The Harmony Collective is a sanctuary choir with a unifying focus on togetherness and welcome. It is open to asylum seekers and refugees who would like to find a creative home in Norwich – and who want to sing with others and celebrate voices from around the world.

Guided by Samia Malik – singer, songwriter, artist and teacher – participants are led through a mixture of scales, rhythms and music of the world, including her own songs, some of which are sung in Urdu.

We are very aware of the barriers to accessing the theatre and the arts more broadly. As an organisation we are constantly trying to change this and look at alternative options. With this in mind, The Harmony Collective is delivered in the community and is free to attend. We encourage parents to bring along their young children, and often bring snacks to make the event more welcoming.

How did it come about?

The Harmony Collective has been programmed as part of our wider work as a Theatre of Sanctuary.

We want the Norwich Theatre to become a place of welcome for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

We realise that Norwich Theatre has a duty to raise awareness of the refugee experience among the general population, fostering a culture of welcome that challenges prejudices and misinformation, and celebrates multicultural Britain and the contributions of migrants to the city’s (and country’s) cultural heritage, economy etc.

A community choir that shares songs from around the world will allow us to foster a sense of welcome and acceptance of one another, and to combat isolation for those who are perhaps new to Norwich altogether.

What are our hopes for The Harmony Collective?

“We envisioned a welcoming place for possibly new arrivals, possibly people who are seeking asylum, possibly people who are more settled…. Doing something like this communally is actually a very healing and very powerful practice.” Samia Malik, singer, songwriter, artist and teacher

We hope that the workshops offer a space for new arrivals to feel at home, to celebrate themselves and their identity, to make friends, but above all to have fun. Singing can be a way of finding your voice, of building confidence and being heard – which is particularly pertinent for those seeking sanctuary who may feel that they haven’t truly been heard in a long time.