ChildAid 2021 set to entertain

Singapore

THE annual children's charity concert ChildAid returns as a hybrid event on Thursday (Dec 9) night.

Audiences at home can catch the concert online at about 7.30 pm when it is live-streamed on the Facebook and YouTube channels of The Business Times (BT) and The Straits Times (ST), as well as on www.businesstimes.com.sg and www.straitstimes.com.

The live event is being held at Resorts World Sentosa with President Halimah Yacob as guest-of-honour.

Now in its 17th year, ChildAid is organised by BT and ST, and continues to be a platform for discovering new talent from ages 6 to 19.

Over the years, ChildAid has featured many young singers with powerful lungs, dancers with magnificent leaps and twirls, pianists with extraordinarily nimble fingers, and other prodigious talents.

The theme of this year's concert is "Virtuoso". Due to current restrictions on stage shows, the number of performers is only 31 - a fraction of previous ChildAid casts which were often more than 100. But among the 31 are some truly outstanding child performers who will undoubtedly continue to flourish in the coming years.

Previous ChildAid performers who have grown up to become professional musicians include pop star Nathan Hartono, conductor-composer Julian Wong and soprano Janani Sridhar.

ChildAid benefits The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which aids artistic youth from less privileged homes, and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which provides assistance to children from low-income families.

The main sponsors this year are United Overseas Bank and Mini Environment Service, while the platinum sponsors are Citi and Tote Board. The venue partner is Resorts World Sentosa.

The concert's creative partner is Orangedot Productions and the executive producer is Global Cultural Alliance. The official radio stations are Money 89.3, OneFM91.3 and Kiss92. The multimedia partner is Noontalk, streaming partner is Meta and rehearsal venue partner is 10 Square.

Here are 8 acts from over a dozen to look out for this Thursday evening:

Girl power: Three girls with powerful lungs - Adele Wee, Heema Izzati Zainudin and Melissa Hecker - will open the show with the energetic number Born To Be Brave from the High School Musical franchise. Heema, 15, said: "In the face of hard times, we can triumph through music and song, sharing the love and spreading joy through art."

Cutest act: Three 9-year-old pianists - Jasmine Zhu, Newton Tong, Winston Ong - will simultaneously place their hands on one piano and play Wilhelm Ganz's humorous composition Grand Galop de Concert. The trio call themselves No Front Teeth.

Piano prodigy: Jessie Meng, 14, was the first prize joint-winner in the Piano Intermediate category of the recently concluded National Piano & Violin Competition 2021. She will play Prokofiev's Toccata, a spellbinding showpiece that's also notoriously difficult to master. Meng said: "To me, a virtuoso is someone who not only excels at their instrument, but also connects to it on an emotional level."

Bond meets Billie Eilish: With No Time To Die fresh on the minds of movie buffs, Jitterbugs Swingapore will perform an original choreography set to its theme song sung by Billie Eilish. Heidi Yeo, one of the 6 young dancers, said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has taught me to appreciate and celebrate what I have, and I am grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this good cause."

En Pointe: Maxine Mok, 12, is a talented ballerina who recently earned Gold at the Youth Arts Festival, Solo, Age 12 Category. She is set to wow the audience with her performance of Princess Florine Variation from Act III of the famous ballet The Sleeping Beauty.

Studio Ghibli lives: Four cellists and a pianist - Alyssa Teo, Amelie See, Ji Yuan Jun, Lim Yi Ting and Tan Wen Yu - will play a medley of songs from several Studio Ghibli movies including Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo.

Pirate music: Justin Low, 16, was the Second Prize winner in the Piano Senior category of the National Piano & Violin Competition 2021. He will perform music from the film franchise Pirates of the Caribbean, with a thrilling arrangement by pianist-composer-arranger Jarrod Radnich.

Phantom phenom: Soprano Raeanne Wong, 16, will deliver a beautiful rendition of Think Of Me from Phantom Of The Opera. She said: "As unique individuals, each of us has a special gift from above. May this concert inspire the 'virtuoso' in you to share your gift with society as well."

• To donate to ChildAid, visit https://linktr.ee/childaid.sg