Josh O’Neill raises nearly £1,200 for Jimmy’s!

On 22 March, a student-led classical and jazz concert was held in Hills Road’s Recital Room to raise money for charity.

Josh O’Neill, a Y12 student, organised the event so that funds could be gathered on behalf of Jimmy’s, a local charity that seeks to support and housing to people who are rough sleeping in Cambridge.

Visitors were able to enjoy an “hour of classical grace and jazz vitality music”, which featured memorable numbers such as, George Gershwin’s ‘Walking the Dog’, Astor Piazzolla’ ‘Libertango’, and Ernő Dohnányi’s ‘Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor Op.1’.

Well done Josh and to all the students who helped play at and organise this wonderful event! It’s fantastic to see so many people think of others and actively participate in helping them.

We sat down with Josh to find out more about this project and his advice to other students who would like to follow in his footsteps.

I wanted to create an opportunity where students could not only make music but use their skills to support the wider community.

We raised money for Jimmy’s, a local charity in Cambridge. I chose Jimmy’s for its local focus, as seeing homelessness around Cambridge, I felt Jimmy’s could make a visible difference.

All the musicians who played are at Hills, including YR12 and Y13 students. I tried to create a varied programme, so a bit of classical, a bit of jazz etc. There was about 40 mins of music, raffle announcements, and a lot of speeches.

Just seeing the whole thing come together! The concert was the first time we’d run through everything so there was doubt as to whether it’d go smoothly, but in the end, all went smoothly.

Be prepared for hurdles...a lot of them! People will have to pull out, food deliveries won’t come and there will be mistakes. Just plough through!

All the musicians involved, thank you! After all, what’s a concert with no music?