Roxanna Panufnik launches Christmas single in aid of Refugee Council

Composer Roxanna Panufnik has joined forces with London gospel choir Soul Sanctuary, Ukrainian soprano Inna Husieva and Afghan tabla player Sulaiman Haqpana to release a Christmas single in aid of the Refugee Council.

Sleep, Jesus, Sleep is Panufnik’s arrangement of the traditional Ukrainian carol, now available on Signum Classics. Every penny from Panufnik and Signum’s revenue will be donated to The Refugee Council.

Panufnik said: ‘I had been longing to work with Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir for years and when the opportunity came up to do something Christmassy it was clear to us all that it should benefit one of the biggest crises of our times. I have been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity of spirit and the immensely heart-warming reactions to the music - especially from the choirs involved.’

Panufnik chose to showcase the unusual combination of gospel choir, soprano and tabla to highlight the thousands of Afghan refugees still waiting to be housed after being airlifted out of Kabul in August 2021. The Refugee Council will spend the money raised helping refugees of all nationalities to find their feet in the UK.

Also hoping to provide more immediate support for the Refugee Council while the single’s revenue filters through, Panufnik has released a choral arrangement of her ‘Sleep, Jesus, Sleep’ single choral suitable for SATB or unison voices. For every copy printed, Panufnik is hoping choral directors will deposit £3 into a GoFundMe campaign which has so far raised over £3,000.

More than 40 performances of the work are scheduled over the coming weeks in the UK and beyond. You can find a full list of upcoming performances here.