The Music Man Project, an Essex charity for people with learning disabilities, has received a standing ovation after performing its original music at New York’s Town Hall. Almost 1,500 people attended the concert, which marked the group’s long-planned journey to Broadway in memory of its former president, Southend West MP Sir David Amess.
Amess, who was murdered in 2021, had supported the project and wanted its performers to appear in New York. Founder David Stanley said he made fulfilling that promise his mission after Amess’s death. During the concert, Stanley used one of Amess’s familiar campaign megaphones to say: “We promised we'd get them to Broadway and we did it my friend, we did it.”
The performance traced the project’s development from its beginnings in Southend-on-Sea to a 200-member organisation. Its programme teaches children and adults with learning disabilities to sing, sign and play original music. The group has previously performed for the King, at the Royal Albert Hall and at the London Palladium.
Stanley said the performers were “perfect” and “incredible” and that the response matched what they deserved.