ChildAid brings the carnival to town

[SINGAPORE] Jugglers, clowns, magicians, martial artists and acrobats feature in this year's ChildAid charity concert. Set to a carnival theme, it is said to be the most ambitious effort in the concert's nine-year history.

Nearly every aspect of the show - from its programme highlights to its elaborate set and costumes - is designed to evoke the atmosphere of a circus.

The 110-minute extravaganza is jointly organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times, and aimed at raising funds for the The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BTBAF) and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF). Three shows will be held tomorrow and Saturday at Marina Bay Sands, the official venue partner.

Some 170 performers aged 19 and under will perform before a live audience. They include Circus Infinity, comprising 11 performers aged 13-16, some of whom will walk on balls or stilts while performing magic tricks.

Among the musical talents is 11-year-old Ariadna Padron Yassin, whose moving, pitch-perfect rendition of Emile Sande's ballad Clown belies her youth.

Another highlight is 19-year-old Tim Ng's jazzy vocals and guitar-playing in a mid-tempo interpretation of Britney Spears' dance-floor hit Oops! I Did It Again, which is easily worthy of being recorded and sold on iTunes.

Then there's the Animato Quad, a group of four teenage boys who will jointly put their eight hands to a shared piano keyboard - while delivering comic gags.

Last year's concert raised a record $2.01 million for financially disadvantaged children. The organisers hope to top that figure this year.

The show's youngest singer, six-year-old Anne- Sophie Cazaubon, said: "I've sung at other concerts before, but this concert is special because I get to perform for two really good causes benefiting kids."

Tickets for the concert tomorrow and on Saturday at $18, $28 and $38 (excluding booking fees) are still available from the Marina Bay Sands website, www.marinabaysands.com/ticketing and also at the Marina Bay Sands theatre box office, SkyPark, ArtScience Museum and MBS retail mall concierge. Alternatively, call 6688-8826.