Diaspora Arts Connection sets 10th Let Her Sing lineup for San Francisco and San Diego

Diaspora Arts Connection will mark the 10th anniversary of Let Her Sing® with concerts in San Francisco and, for the first time, San Diego, plus a three-film program at YBCA. The 2026 edition spotlights women vocalists and expands the organization’s arts-and-human-rights message to new Southern California audiences.

Why it matters: - Let Her Sing® is marking a decade as a platform for women vocalists and artistic freedom. - The 2026 expansion to San Diego extends the program beyond the Bay Area for the first time. - A three-film program in San Francisco adds a new layer of context around censorship, exclusion, and women’s right to sing.

What happened: - Diaspora Arts Connection announced the 2026 lineup for Let Her Sing®: A Celebration of Female Voices. - The program will feature Mina Deris, Eilbret Dooman, Marjan Farsad, Mehrnam Rastegari, Roxana Sarrafi, and Gelareh Sheibani. - All six artists will perform at both the San Francisco and San Diego concerts. - Iranian-Canadian soprano and singer-songwriter Golrokh Aminian, a former Let Her Sing® artist, will serve as master of ceremonies. - The San Francisco concert is set for Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA. - The San Diego concert is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. - The San Diego show is being presented with the Persian Cultural Center of San Diego. - Diaspora Arts Connection will also present three film screenings at YBCA on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. - Tickets are available through the Diaspora Arts Connection website.

The details: - The film program will be exclusive to San Francisco. - The screenings will focus on women’s right to sing and on artists whose voices have been censored, restricted, or excluded from public performance. - Film titles, screening times, and other program details will be announced later. - Mina Deris is an Ahwazi Arab Iranian vocalist from Abadan in southern Iran whose work draws on Arabic classical music and regional traditions. - Eilbret Dooman is an Assyrian vocalist whose performances reflect her cultural heritage and personal journey. - Marjan Farsad is an Iranian singer-songwriter, animator, and illustrator whose work blends music and visual storytelling. - Roxana Sarrafi is a Persian classical and traditional vocalist trained in Persian classical singing and the Radif tradition. - Gelareh Sheibani is an Iranian singer-songwriter and performer whose work brings a contemporary sensibility to Persian-language music. - Mehrnam Rastegari is an Iranian composer, singer, violinist, and kamancheh player whose work connects Persian traditions with contemporary composition and cross-cultural experimentation. - Golrokh Aminian will also host the program and previously appeared as an artist in Let Her Sing®. - Both concerts will feature the Let Her Sing® house band under Music Director Yahya Alkhansa. - Navid Ghaem Maghami is returning as art director. - Diaspora Arts Connection said the anniversary lineup reflects the cultural, linguistic, and artistic diversity at the heart of the program. - The organization said Let Her Sing® works at the intersection of arts and human rights. - Diaspora Arts Connection said the concerts and film screenings will function as testimony, cultural preservation, resistance, and connection. - The organization said the San Diego debut will deepen its partnerships with local cultural organizations and introduce the program to new Southern California audiences.

Between the lines: - The anniversary programming broadens Let Her Sing® from a concert series into a wider cultural statement about visibility and expression. - Adding film suggests Diaspora Arts Connection is trying to frame the issue as both an artistic and human-rights question, not just a performance showcase. - The mix of artists points to a deliberate emphasis on diaspora identity, regional musical traditions, and multilingual cultural representation. - San Diego’s first hosting gives the organization a new audience base and a way to test whether the program can travel beyond its core market.

What's next: - Diaspora Arts Connection will announce film titles, screening times, and additional details for the Oct. 11 program later. - The organization will sell tickets through its website ahead of the October performances. - The 10th anniversary season will begin with the San Francisco film program, then move to the San Francisco concert and San Diego debut later in the month. - More information is available at the organization’s website. - The organization also shared an Instagram page at its social media account.

The bottom line: - Let Her Sing® is turning its 10th anniversary into a two-city expansion and a broader campaign for women’s artistic freedom.