Community Concert brings Spring cheer to over 180 guests

Tonbridge School’s Community Action team hosted the annual Community Concert at the start of March, when over 180 local senior citizens were collected from their homes by a fleet of volunteer drivers. They were warmly welcomed into Big School by Third Year (Year 10) students who volunteer regularly with our Community Action programme.

The evening was expertly compered by Deputy Head of School, Ben (OH5) and Tom (WH5) who brought humour and charm to the evening.

Fittingly, the classical part of the programme commenced with two Glenn Miller standards, In the Mood and Moonlight Serenade, played by boys ranging from Second Year to Upper Sixth who comprised the Saxophone Quintet. The performance set the tone for the evening, which showcased musical talent across a variety of genres.

Other highlights included a range of stunning solo performances on piano, cello and violin; Michael Rose’s Cantilena, played by Second Year boys in the Oistrakh Quartet; At Last (Gordon and Warren), played by the Du Pre Quartet; and finally, a range of swing, jazz and rock by the twenty-one-piece Big Band who brought the first half to a close.

During the interval refreshments were served by Third Years, whilst Ben and Tom entertained guests with fun competitions, including a raffle and prizes for, amongst other things, the most senior guest (98), the guest who has lived in Tonbridge the longest, and those whose birthdays were the closest. The latter resulted in a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung by all in attendance to the two guests, who shared a birthday, and one boy who were each presented with cakes to take home.

The second half comprised musical numbers from shows past and present performed by students who have appeared in previous Tonbridge productions. Songs included classics from Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, Into the Woods, Follies, Sweeney Todd, The Greatest Showman, Wicked and Matilda. Throughout, the boys were joined by girls from Tonbridge Grammar School and Hillview School for Girls.

The evening ended with the company providing a rousing rendition of You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen.

As well as enjoying the evening together, the School community has been buoyed by the kind feedback received by our guests, with a representative from Castle Court commenting, “On behalf of the residents, I would like to thank you all very much for another lovely evening. Everyone enjoyed it so much, including four in our group who had not been before who absolutely loved it. Every year it gets better and better. Please pass on our very grateful thanks to everyone who helped to make the evening so special, including the boys and girls of course. We are already looking forward to next year!”

Residents of Merryfield Court said “We’ve been coming to this lovely concert for years, and always look forward to it, and this year has been one of the best ever. We love coming to spend time talking to the boys, enjoying the fantastic music, and everyone’s company. The standard of performance is so high – we expect to see some of these boys on the London stage soon! Thank you so much to our driver, and to everyone who makes this such a special evening.”

Juliet Burnett, Community Action Manager, said, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those involved in making this very special event run so smoothly – musicians, music and drama staff, comperes, Third Year hosts, volunteer drivers, those who ran the refreshments, and the team effort of colleagues across the School. This is one of our favourite events of the year, and we all enjoy the excellent music and the company of so many members of our local community.”