Deputy Head accompanies stars of stage and screen!

Virginia McKenna OBE with Mr Simon Dinsdale (right) and Andy Phillips, conductor of the Brockham Choral Society

The Deputy Headmaster at Crosfields School, Shinfield has been mixing with stars of stage and screen in the weeks before Christmas!    Mr Simon Dinsdale is an extremely accomplished organist and has recently accompanied choirs both at Eton College and at St Martin’s Church, Dorking, Surrey as well as on five different CD recordings.   At Eton, the concert included a talk by famous broadcaster Kate Adie, while on Saturday 5^th December at St. Martin’s Mr Dinsdale met actress Virginia McKenna, OBE at an event hosted by the Brockham Choral Society (Surrey) held in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust South East.

Three Dorking primary school choirs performed items last Saturday followed by three performed items en masse with Brockham Choral Society.  The brass group Alberti Brass also performed.  Virginia McKenna read Elizabeth Coatsworth’s poem The Barn and issued an appeal on behalf of the charity which aims to raise £3million to provide specialist units for teenagers with cancer at The Royal Marsden Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals.

Mr Dinsdale’s talents have also taken him abroad.  Last summer he travelled to the USA to perform a series of concerts with The Royal Memorial Chapel Choir (part of The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst) at three churches in New York (including the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine) and State as well as in the Cadet’s Chapel of West Point Military Academy which houses one of the largest instruments in the world.

Simon commented:  “It is wonderful that there is such a wealth of musical talent in our area and I very much enjoy my role as an accompanist as well as performing individual recitals.  Both these recent events have been extremely well received and it was very exciting to meet such talented screen stars at the same time!”