The Smiles With Grace Virtual Gala Concert 2020!

Mark takes the ultimate cut in Grace’s memory
1st September 2019
Smiles With Grace presents cheque to Lydia for adapted car
20th September 2020
The Smiles With Grace Virtual Gala Concert 2020

On 1st August, the first ever ‘Smiles With Grace Virtual Charity Concert’ was premiered!

Organised by three of our wonderful patrons, Tom Bromwich, Rhea Patel and Laurence Brooks, the virtual concert featured an array of incredible performances, including music, comedy and dance.

Due to the global pandemic and the resulting ban on large gatherings, the concert was organised virtually, which meant performers had to record themselves performing their pieces at home and send them in, for them to be edited into a two-hour extravaganza.

The show opened with a hilarious comedy sketch featuring the lead host, Tom Bromwich, Rhea Patel, Maddie Prior and the Prior Family and, following this, Alice Melvin sang Iceland’s Eurovision 2020 entry ‘Think About Things’ while “dancing around her garden” with Christian Green; a highly entertaining and dynamic start to what was a brilliant concert filled to the brim with incredible talent!

Alice Melvin and Christian Green performing Iceland’s Eurovision song ‘Think About Things’

The concert was also hosted by Imogen Padwick, Rhea Patel, Laurence Brooks, Max Albert and Henry Bird.

The amazing ‘Annie’ Brown performed two beautiful, original poems, ‘Into the Blue’ and ‘Lupita Nyong’o’, before an all-star team of nine performed a Bollywood Dance to the song ‘Chammak Challo’ by Akon, a performance organised by Tanu Kugathasan (who organised the Bollywood evening at Chigwell School).

Ben Copsey and Anika Jay both performed brilliant piano solos with the former playing ‘Brahms Intermezzo in A Minor’ and the latter performing ‘Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum’.

It was wonderful to see so many group performances, with former Chigwell School pupils teaming up for such an amazing cause. Rhea Patel, Maddie Lovett and Alisha Evans performed a stunning virtual trio of ‘Let Her Go’ by Passenger. Max Albert, Hana Edwards, Rhea Gupta and James Botcher beautifully performed ‘Lord For Thy Tender Mercy’s Sake’ and Serena Dench, Aaran Vijay, Max Albert and Lucas Abrami-Gill performed an amazing cover of ‘Ocean’ by Karol G.

Hana Edwards and Max Albert also teamed up for a beautiful cover of ‘Moon River’, by Audrey Hepburn.

Alisha Evans (top left), Maddie Lovett (top right) and Rhea Patel (centre) singing ‘Let her Go’ by Passenger

Tamra Nathan and Laurence Brooks teamed up for a smooth cover of ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder, Justin Morse performed an original comedy Sketch ‘How To Be An Actor’, featuring his parents and a few former Chigwell School pupils, and Calico Jack, the superb funk-pop group made up of former Chigwell School pupils, Will Lord, Luke Piper and Kyle Dewar-McKay played their upcoming single, ‘Mad Matt’.

There were some beautiful solo performances, including Brooke Newton’s heart-warming rendition of ‘Once Upon a Dream’ from Disney’s Maleficent, Daisy Mansfield’s amazing cover of ‘Sugar Pie Hunny Bunch’ (featuring Tom Gullier on guitar) and Rhea Patel’s cover of Billie Eilish’s ‘When the Party’s Over’, which left no dry eye in the house…or rather on YouTube and Facebook (where the concert was streamed)!

The immensely gifted Immy Osborne sung Kacey Johansing’s ‘Hide and Seek’ while playing the guitar, Henry Scott sung and played ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ (or should I say three Henry Scott’s!), Rosie Singha performed a show-stopping cover of ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles and Myrtle Watts performed ‘Why Do You Feel So Down?’ by Declan McKenna, showcasing her musical talent by singing, and playing the guitar and percussion.

Immy Osborne’s cover of ‘Hide and Seek’ by Kacey Johansing

The Antoniou family performed ‘I Feel It Coming’, by The Weeknd, before Yasmin and Nadya Antoniou played and sung ‘Love is an Open Door’ from Disney’s Frozen, showcasing the many musical talents of the Antoniou Family!

The amazing Odette Clark gave a tear-jerking performance of ‘She Used To Be Mine’ from The Waitress: The Musical, Laurence Brooks smoothly sung another Stevie Wonder song, ‘Ribbon in the Sky’ and the talented Josh Copsey performed ‘A Little Prayer’ on the xylophone.

Odette’s Clark’s performs ‘She Used To Be Mine’ from The Waitress: The Musical

The two-hour concert ended with a powerful finale, in which eighteen talented singers performed ‘You Will Be Found’ from the musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. The song featured the amazing patrons of the charity, thanking those watching for their donations and continued support of Smiles With Grace.

The virtual concert was a huge success and has already raised over £1,500!!

The concert is still available to view via YouTube (at the top of this page) and via the Smiles With Grace Facebook page.

To donate, please use the link below which will take you to the concert’s Just Giving page! 💜

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/smiles-with-grace

Donate