Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame Announces Cultural Entertainment for September 25 Induction Ceremony & Gala

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame (IHHF) is excited to announce the cultural entertainment lineup for its 2025 Induction Ceremony & Gala, set to take place on Thursday, September 25 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT. This year’s event promises a vibrant celebration of immigrant heritage, featuring diverse cultural expressions that reflect the rich backgrounds of Connecticut’s immigrant communities and the 2025 inductees.

The cultural program and keynote address will complement the induction of four exceptional individuals into the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame:

• Dr. Ali Antar, Emeritus Professor and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Central Connecticut State University
• Atty. Dana Bucin, an award-winning immigration attorney and partner at Harris Beach Murtha
• Dr. Demetrios Giannaros, an economist, served for 16 years in the Connecticut Legislature, and is former President of the World Hellenic Interparliamentary Association
• Homa Naficy developed “The American Place” at the Hartford Public Library, a highly regarded cornerstone of support for immigrant and refugee communities.

The IHHF celebrates the diverse ethnic heritage of our state and country by honoring individuals and institutions who exemplify the best of their immigrant heritage and who have made outstanding contributions to the cultural, economic, and civic development of the United States. The IHHF strives not only to preserve heritage but to educate the public about the importance of immigrant heritage to the identity of the United States and the contributions of immigrants and immigrant communities. The gala will feature performances showcasing the cultural tapestry of our nation, including:

• Born in Romania, now a U.S. citizen, Adrian George Sahlean is the founder and president of Global Arts Inc. (2005), a non-profit organization actively promoting Romanian literature, art and music in the USA. He is a member of the Romanian Writers Union, American Association of Literary Translators, and American-Romanian Academy. During the past decade, he has given poetry recitals with his translations in over 10 cities in the US and Canada.
• Ahmad Esmi, an Electrical Engineer and music lover, spent his early years in Iran and was exposed to Persian classical and folk music before he came to America to study Engineering. Ahmad has been singing in family gatherings and has become fascinated with santour – an ancient instrument that originated in Asia – and has been studying and playing it for the last twenty years. As an amateur musician, he has played solo and as part of a group called Taranum, and has studied traditional Iranian music.

• Athenian Entertainment Greek Orchestra is led by vocalist Georgio Karatzas. The band includes performers specialized in traditional Greek as well as modern instruments, and the band’s repertoire includes classic Greek folk music and contemporary popular songs. Athenian Entertainment Greek Orchestra performs at Greek festivals, weddings, and other celebrations of Greek culture across the Northeastern United States.
• Sheikh Sayed Farghaly serves as Imam of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford. He is a native of Assiut, Egypt – a city famous for its religious pluralism with one of the highest populations of Coptic Christians in Egypt. He is respected as a reciter of the Quran of the highest level of skill, and he has served religious communities in Venezuela, Philippines, Australia and the United States. He has served at the Berlin mosque since 2000, where he provides counsel to community members, attends to the sick and grieving, and gives Quranic recitations from memory. He earned his degree from Al-Azhar University, among the most prestigious for Islamic learning.

“These performances will not only entertain but also educate our guests about the rich cultural traditions that our inductees bring to Connecticut,” said Asha Lassen, president of the National Immigrant Heritage Center. “It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the diversity that makes our state and nation stronger.”

Vanessa de la Torre, Chief Content Officer at Connecticut Public, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 induction gala. She oversees all content at CT Public, with a mission to inform, educate and inspire diverse audiences across the state, including on radio, television and the organization’s 60-plus digital platforms. Since 2020, she has also led the New England News Collaborative, a regional hub of top public media stations producing news and in-depth storytelling throughout New England.

The emcee for the induction ceremony will be Lucy Nalpathanchil, Vice President of Community Engagement for Connecticut Public and former host of the popular WNPR interview program and podcast Where We Live. As a member of the senior leadership team, she leads Connecticut Public’s strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state. A journalist for more than two decades, she’s the recipient of multiple journalism awards including a national Gracies Award from the Alliance for Women in Media and three national awards from the Public Media Journalists Association.

The IHHF Induction Gala will begin at 5:30 p.m. and includes a formal dinner, video presentations about each inductee, and cultural performances. Since its founding in 2013, the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame has honored more than 40 exceptional individuals whose immigrant backgrounds have shaped education, health, civic engagement, and culture in Connecticut and beyond, reflecting the remarkable contributions of immigrants to the American story.

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame was initially a project of the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut, Inc., a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which launched and operated the Hall of Fame from its inception in 2013. It was succeeded by the establishment during 2021 of the National Immigrant Heritage Center (NIHC), an independent 501(c)3 organization established as a multi-ethnic Center, inclusive in its mission, structure and governance. NIHC aims to promote and publish research, lectures, and conferences on the many dimensions of Connecticut’s immigrant heritage and the role of immigration throughout the American economy and culture, to expand public awareness and understanding.

For more information about the event, and the inductees, or to purchase tickets, please visit www.immigrantheritage.org.