BT and ST organise star-studded virtual concert
THE Business Times and The Straits Times are jointly organising a star-studded virtual concert in aid of the The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BTBAF) and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) in July.
The ChildAid 2020 fundraiser features a stellar line-up of pop singer-songwriters Nathan Hartono, Benjamin Kheng and Jasmine Sokko, and jazz maestro Jeremy Monteiro.
The concert's finale has Singapore's Kahchun Wong, chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany, leading an international ensemble of musicians and vocalists performing an excerpt from the fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony No 9, Ode To Joy.
The concert also boasts child talents singing self-penned numbers, as well as a ChildAid choir.
Although the annual concert is typically held in November, the Covid-19 crisis has made more urgent the needs of the over 10,000 underprivileged child recipients of the charities. Hence, the two Singapore Press Holdings titles decided to mount an online concert that observes current social distancing rules, instead of a live one.
However, no effort has been spared to make the online experience an incredible one. ChildAid 2020 - Virtually Yours is presented as an immersive 360-degree video, allowing the viewer to view the image in multiple directions. Plugging in a pair of headphones also provides a full-sphere surround sound that adapts to the movement of your head.
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Wong Wei Kong, editor of The Business Times, says the new concert format would inspire viewers and supporters, "both as a creative experience as well as a way of showing how both funds continue to innovate and look forward".
Arthur Lang, chairman of ChildAid 2020 Steering Committee, who is also chief executive officer (international) of Singtel, says: "Digital technology has enabled us to bring various talents together in a way never done before and present a unique, borderless format of ChildAid that creatively marries art and technology."
Continuing their longtime support of ChildAid, United Overseas Bank and Citi Singapore have come in as main sponsors. Home viewers can also donate to the cause at str.sg/donatetochildaid from June 2. Corporate donations are welcome.
BTBAF helps artistically-gifted but underprivileged children pursue their passions, while STSPMF helps children from low-income families pay for their school lunch and transport fare. This year's concert marks STSPMF's 20th anniversary and The Straits Times' 175th anniversary. Over the years, the two charities have aided more than 170,000 children.
To watch ChildAid 2020 - Virtually Yours, go to www.businesstimes.com.sg or www.straitstimes.com on July 15 at 8pm. The concert will also be streamed on BT's and ST's Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as the #StayHomeWithSPH website, stayhome.com.sg.
To donate, visit str.sg/donatetochildaid from June 2.
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