Soul superstar, Beverley Knight, will lead a virtual concert featuring talented Highfields alumni to spread cheer, love and hope to the school’s students and staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual lockdown concert will see the world-famous singer and other talented former Highfields students perform from their homes.
The concert will then be put together as a video and shared with current students and staff.
Three-time MOBO Award-winning Beverley - who has become a huge hit on stage with critically-acclaimed leading performances in The Bodyguard, Memphis the Musical and Cats - often publicly credits Highfields for encouraging her to nurture the phenomenal voice and musical talent that has seen her become one of the world’s most celebrated and loved singers.
She will be joined in the virtual concert by West End stars Harveen Mann, Tom Xander and Simbi Akande.
After leaving Highfields, Harveen trained at the Royal Academy of Music before enjoying stage success in a number of leading roles, including Bend It Like Beckham in the West End, Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’ and Peter Pan.
Tom has also enjoyed a successful stage career after nurturing his acting talents at Highfields, moving on to study at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts before making history as the first ever British actor to be cast in the leading role of Elder Cunningham in Book of Mormon at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre.
Simbi also moved on to Mountview after Highfields, before appearing in a string of professional stage productions, including Company, Fiddler on the Roof, Show Boat, and most recently The Prince of Egypt in the West End.
A number of more recent Highfields leavers who are hoping to pursue careers in the Arts will also be performing, including Jessica Burgess, Jacob Kholi, Jess Olford and Jordannne Farley-Moss.
Ms S Bishop, Highfields’ Head of Extra Curricular Performance, said: “I have been hoping to organise an alumni concert for a while, and wondered if in these strange times our talented former students might perform a song for Highfields students with a message of hope and love.
“We have so many talented former students, including the fabulous Beverley Knight, and I am over the moon that so many of them have agreed to perform for this virtual lockdown concert.
“We will put the concert together as a video to share with the students who are really missing contact and craving connection.”
Beverley’s contribution to the virtual Highfields concert comes after she launched the music project, NHS Relief, alongside Dr Ranj Singh to support frontline NHS workers in the fight against Covid-19.
She joined up with more than 100 other musicians and UK artists, including Joss Stone, to record a cover of Lean On Me by Bill Withers. The team of singers, musicians, choirs and video editors worked in isolation to help produce the song.
All of the proceeds are going to ‘NHS Charities Together’ - a culmination of NHS charities - and You Okay Doc?, a charity for the mental health and wellbeing of doctors and healthcare professionals.
Beverley, whose mother used to be a nurse, said her family ties to the NHS had inspired her to lead the project. For more information about NHS Relief, click here
