London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

NHS staff perform ‘thank you’ piece composed by six-year-old boy

NHS staff perform ‘thank you’ piece composed by six-year-old boy

Pandemia written for a string quartet by Apollo Premadasa as tribute to health workers
A London hospital has celebrated the NHS’s 73rd birthday with a special performance of a new piece of classical music composed by a six-year-old boy in tribute to health workers and scientists.

Apollo Premadasa first emailed St Bart’s hospital in the City of London last year during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to tell them he had written the piece, Pandemia, as a “thank you” to health workers everywhere.

The piece, written for a string quartet in C minor, has three movements – “Survival”, “Hope” and “Fight” – signifying the journey the NHS, UK and the whole world have been on these past 18 months. Apollo said: “I wrote this piece to say thank you to all the doctors, nurses and scientists around in the UK and around the world for all their hard work during the pandemic. It’s been a really hard time for them and they have all been heroes.”

As Monday marked the first opportunity for a public performance of the piece and its world premiere, the six-year-old, who studies multiple instruments including cello and trombone at the Guildhall School of Music, said finally hearing it played by musicians in real-life was “amazing”.

His piece was played by four Barts Health medical staff from Newham hospital and the Royal London hospital, with the concert taking place in the Great Hall of St Bartholomew’s hospital.

Dr Andrew Kelso, the medical director of Newham hospital and cellist in the quartet said: “The world, the NHS, our patients and our staff have never before needed help in healing more than they do now. This piece is a symbolic representation of all that we have been through together and it’s a privilege to be able to perform its world premiere. Thank you to Apollo for writing it – it is a precious thing. Music heals.”

The hospital’s deputy medical director, Dr Liat Sarner, added: “The last 18 months have been incredibly hard on NHS staff. To be able to play the premiere of Apollo’s piece, his ‘thank you’ for the work we have done, in front of NHS staff, was incredibly emotional and special. I’m so proud to have been involved.”

The performance came on the 73rd anniversary of the NHS’s foundation after a year of unprecedented challenges for the health service and its workers. On Monday, the Queen awarded the prestigious George Cross to the health service, recognising the “courage, compassion and dedication” of NHS staff in all four nations of the UK, past and present.

In a handwritten message, the Queen wrote: “Over more than seven decades, and especially in recent times, you have supported the people of our country with courage, compassion and dedication, demonstrating the highest standards of public service. You have our enduring thanks and heartfelt appreciation.”

It is only the third time the award has been given to a collective body, country or organisation, rather than an individual. The George Cross is the UK’s highest award for gallantry and heroism, granted in recognition of “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most courage in circumstances of extreme danger”.

The Duke of Cambridge marked the anniversary at a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and is hosting a celebration tea at Buckingham Palace to honour the NHS’s contribution to the country throughout the pandemic.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×