Grimsdyke School 75th anniversary (2014)
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This concert was truly a memorable and uplifting experience.
About 80 members of Tonic Choir (mostly from Tonic 1 and 2) sang with 55 children from Hatch End's Grimsdyke School as part of the school's 75th anniversary celebrations. The youngest singer was 7 and the oldest just about 80. The programme comprised songs from the WW1 and WW2 eras. The choirs sang on their own and together. There was a particularly spirited rendition of Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. The children demanded an encore of The Spitfire Song and clearly beat the older choir in the chorus of Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers. Conducting duties were shared by Tonic musical director, Bryan Kesselman and choral director, Philip Barnett, who also sang the solos. Accompanying duties were shared by Bryan and guest pianist, Jeremy Limb. Impressive amount raised Through ticket sales and donations on the day, the concert raised £1,480 for the Royal British Legion. |
From Mrs Gwenda Caroli, Head of Grimsdyke School
"The finale of Grimsdyke School’s 75th Celebrations was held in the Great Hall, Hatch End High School. This was a joint venture between the School Choir and Tonic Choir, and was our first collaboration. The children had been working hard to learn the songs with the wonderful help we received from Mr Bryan Kesselman in our weekly choir sessions. The concert was fantastic and we received many positive comments. I would like to thank Mr Philip Barnett and Mr Bryan Kesselman for organising this event. Mr Doulton and Mr Chaffe have also supported the choir every Tuesday. The school received this wonderful email from a member of Tonic Choir and it certainly sums up the evening and Grimsdyke School." Dear Mrs Caroli, I am a member of Tonic choir and had the pleasure of singing together with the Grimsdyke children last night. I just wanted to say how impressed we all were with the children's singing. They outshone us with their lovely voices and command of the words. Their behaviour was excellent, especially as they had to sit through so many of the adult songs. They coped so well with the oldies! I hope they continue to sing and perform both at school and into adulthood as it will bring great pleasure to themselves as well as others. Please pass on a huge well done to the children for a fantastic performance. Many thanks to you and your staff for all your hard work and for allowing us to be part of such a wonderful event. With best wishes, Debbie Laws Tonic Choir |