Feist, Barenaked Ladies perform at benefit concert

Friday, October 24, 2014
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Feist, Barenaked Ladies perform at benefit
concert
Inaugural benefit concert, for kids with disabilities, organized by Hayden Desser will
support Toronto’s Beverley School
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Toronto musician Hayden Desser clearly remembers the rush from playing Neil Young’s
famous Bridge School Benefit Concert 20 years ago.
“Having the kids up on stage is something that stays with me,” he says, of the fundraiser
for children with disabilities that draws big names each year. “I’ll never forget it.”
Young’s 28th annual event takes place in California this month.
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Hayden, as he is known, will surely have clear memories of Dream Serenade, a benefit
concert he’s organized for Massey Hall Oct. 25, with proceeds going to Toronto’s
Beverley School, a similar facility that supports children with developmental and
physical disabilities.
Further education brimming with opportunity
This time it’s more personal, as Hayden and his wife, Christie Greyerbiehl, have a
specific student in mind — their daughter, 5-year-old Gray. Born with a chromosome
deletion that has no official diagnosis, Gray is developmentally delayed and functions at
the level of a 2-year-old. She has attended the school for two years.
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The couple has amassed a formidable lineup for the scheduled four-hour concert, with
intimate, individual sets by Feist, Sarah Harmer, Jason Collett and rock groups
Barenaked Ladies and Billy Talent, among others.
Money raised through ticket sales and donations will benefit the school, as well as a
family relief fund for caregivers.
“This is the same spirit (as the Bridge School concert),” Hayden says.
He’s had the concept ruminating since Gray was born and profoundly changed his
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perspective on life. “It’s funny that you can get through most of your life without
knowing someone who’s affected by disease or an accident,” he says.
The insight has given him an urge to contribute. The plan is for the concert to be annual,
with future proceeds supporting similar programs throughout the city.
“I’m not an expert on all of the different scenarios of helping children with disabilities in
Toronto, but in our own way, through friends that we’ve known for many years through
music, it’s a way for us to do something,” he says.
With a decades-long career based in Toronto, Hayden knows many musicians. And it
wasn’t hard to get them to participate. “The lineup is kind of crazy in my opinion — both
from the talent perspective and genre and style of the artists,” Dresser says.
The first to say yes was Barenaked Ladies’ member Kevin Hearn — who vividly recalls
the Ladies’ 1998 experience playing Young’s Bridge School benefit. The keyboardist also
has a personal stake. His daughter, Havana, was born with lissencephaly, a rare, genelinked brain malformation that causes developmental disabilities.
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Havana, 10, has attended the Beverley School for four years.
“It’s a school that’s worthy of praise and celebration,” Hearn says. “To walk into the
school is like walking into another world, it’s amazing. This place is so good for the
students. The teachers are compassionate and dedicated.”
The school has specialized equipment, including a multisensory snoezelen room (an
environment that incorporates a selection of sensory equipment and materials), a
generous complement of staff and field trips all over the city. Equally cherished is the
sense of community that makes Hearn emotional explaining it.
“When you find this place right here in Toronto, it’s hard to put into words what a help
it is, what a comfort it is and how important it is for not only the kids, but the families,”
he says.
Greyerbiehl talks about their happy and magical daughter, who expresses frustrations
and joys with equal intensity. “It’s been a very difficult road,” she says. “All her emotion
is unbridled and with that comes tantrums, but with that also comes incredible laughter.
Those little moments she provides are magical.”
The school has been a saving grace, Greyerbiehl says. “No matter how many times I go
in there, I’m always overwhelmed, usually to the point of tears,” she says.
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Proceeds from this year’s concert will be used for a playground with high environmental
standards, a thought that keeps a smile on Hayden’s face as he puts the finishing touches
on this event he’s dreamed about for five years.
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There will be footage of the school during the concert and the principal will say a few
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“For whatever reason people come to the show, whether they’re supporters of the
school or like the reason behind it or are just music fans, I think everyone there will
leave with a warm heart,” Hayden says.
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