BT BAF celebrates its 19th anniversary

THE Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) celebrated its 19th anniversary on Friday (May 10) with an immersive experience called T’MAD Museum, which allowed students to engage with the audience in various activities.

Students from BT BAF’s dance, music, art and theatre groups gathered at the 10 Square premises in Orchard Central for the show, which had them slugging it out for the coveted Genre of the Year title.

“The Genre of the Year competition symbolises the spirit of friendly competition and collaboration, driving the students to think out of the box of their craft and inspire one another to discover new horizons,” said Tan Puay Kern, vice-chairman of the National Crime Prevention Council and member of the The Rice Company Limited (TRCL) board of directors.

Santhiya d/o Subramaniam, deputy head of arts and community development at TRCL, oversaw the training of the students. “It is gratifying to see the culmination of their growth and efforts recognised by the guests,” she said.

In the spirit of friendly competition, everyone ended the night as winners. Adopted by The Business Times in 2005 and managed by TRCL, BT BAF has reached out to more than 23,000 children and youth from underserved backgrounds, empowering them to fulfil their potentials and pursue their dreams in the arts and culture sectors.