Artists of 'all abilities' awe audience

DOZENS of artists convened for the first benefit concert to aid the muscular dystrophy community and financially-disadvantaged students of the School of the Arts (Sota) simultaneously.

The Sunburst Concert 2017 was a non-stop roll call of unique performances and collaborations, as musicians of "all abilities" took the stage to entertain a total crowd of about 800 in its afternoon and evening sessions at Sota.

Organised by The Business Times and presented by CapitaLand, Sunburst set out to show that physical disability is no barrier to creating inspiring art - and this was proven over and again by the many extraordinary musicians who included those with muscular dystrophy.

In most cases, the choice of music was apt: Adam Mark Lim crooned Carole King's You've Got A Friend while strumming his guitar, and Adelyn Koh Xin Hui and Ariadna Padron Yassin sang Josh Groban's inspirational You're Still You.

This being Sota, there were naturally performers who chose to wander off the beaten track, such as the Sota Senior Percussion Ensemble who made music out of thumping coffee cups on a table and sliding straws in and out of their slots.

There were also outstanding Sota alumni who returned to their alma mater to perform and raise funds for the two beneficiaries, the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore (MDAS) and the Sota student assistance fund. They included pop and R&B songstress Amni Musfirah, soulful singer Siti Syakirah Noble and saxophonist Samuel Phua.

The concert closed on a high note with all the musicians coming together to perform Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You, another appropriate tribute to human relationships. Though the concert is over, donations to the two causes are welcome. For MDAS, visit www.mdas.org.sg. For Sota, visit www.sota. edu.sg

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