 ChildAid
A charity concert by The Straits Times and The Business Times
Singapore, 17 October 2005 - For the first-time ever, Singapore's
top young musicians will be putting on a concert in aid of their
less-fortunate peers.
Called ChildAid, the two-night concert at the University Cultural
Centre on Dec 7-8 is in aid of The Straits Times School Pocket Money
Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. All the performers
are under 19.
The Guest-of-Honour is President S R Nathan.
“The concert aims to showcase our young musical talents. It
will give Singaporeans a chance to hear how good they are and to
contribute to charity,” said Mr Peter Khoo, Vice President,
Editorial Projects and Branding, Singapore Press Holdings. "Not
many know that Singaporean youths are winning music awards in all
genres all over the world. It's time we celebrated them, and helped
their needy peers too.''
Organisers are also developing young talents in other fields through
the concert. For instance, teenagers are being trained by Singapore
Press Holdings to write all press releases for the concert. All
the youths have volunteered their talents towards the charity event.
The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund helps needy schoolchildren
pay for a meal during recess or transport to school.
The Business Times Budding Artists Fund gives underprivileged children
a chance to nurture their artistic talents, be it in the area of
the arts or music.
The two newspapers hope to raise $300,000. The monies will be shared
equally between the two beneficiaries.
Organisers have selected the first four performers. They are:
1. Abigail Sin
Hailed by Time Magazine as one of Asia's "small wonders and
a bona fide prodigy'' when she was 10, the 13-year-old Methodist
Girls School student has won three international piano competitions
this year. She was voted the Most Outstanding Performer at the International
Festival of Young Musicians in Lithuania, struck gold at the Virginia
Waring International in California before winning the Ibiza International
Piano Competition in Spain last month.
2. Loh Jun Hong
The 15-year-old violinist made headlines recently when he became
the youngest Singaporean to be granted a place at the National University
of Singapore. He had turned down a place at the renowned Yehudi
Menuhin School in Britain to be the youngest musician at the Yong
Siew Toh Conservatory, where he continues to be groomed by Qian
Zhou.
3. 3Dash1
This band beat 207 others to win the inaugural Straits Times School
of Rock competition this year. Comprising three teens from the polytechnic
and Institute of Technical Education, they have gone from strength
to strength, performing at the Esplanade, on National Day and at
the Victoria Theatre. The band members are Muhd Ashik Sokhaimee,
18; Andhika, 17, and Mohammed Nashir Ayub, 19.
4. Nathan Hartono
This 15-year-old is the current Teen Idol. He won the Teenage Magazine
event with his smooth jazz classics. Citing Frank Sinatra as his
inspiration, Nathan will be launching his own CD soon.
The newspapers will be conducting a nationwide search for the
other performers through their editorial stories from today (Tues,
18 Oct 2005).
Those who wish to audition must have made the news or won awards.
They must be Singapore residents and not older than 19. Closing
date for entries is Oct 31, 2005.
Those interested can contact Sheryl Lim at 62227 7087 or at sheryllim@musicmovement.com.sg
The opening gala night is for sponsors only. The charities are
seeking Gold ($50,000 and above), Silver ($30,000) and Bronze ($10,000)
sponsorships from corporations.
Sponsors can contact Shahrena Hassan at 6319-5097 or at shahrena@sph.com.sg
The second night is for the public. Ticket sales for the Dec 8
performance will start in early November and are available at all
SISTIC outlets. Tickets will be priced at $25, $15 and $10.
All proceeds will go to charity with the Singapore Press Holdings
bearing all costs.
This press release was written by teenagers Mark Lim, 16, Nur
Safiah Alias, 15, and Rajesh Misir, 16. They are being trained to
do PR as part of the ChildAid aim of showcasing and developing Singapore
young talent.
Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Co. Regn. No: 198402868E
For more information, please contact:
Shahrena Hassan
Asst Manager
Editorial Promotions
Tel: 6319 5097
E-mail: shahrena@sph.com.sg
About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Main board listed Singapore Press Holdings Limited is the leading
media company in Singapore, in the print, Internet and broadcasting
platforms. It publishes 13 newspapers in the four official languages
and about 80 magazine titles. Everyday, 2.8 million individuals,
or 88 per cent of the people above 15 years old, read one of the
SPH publications. Its Internet Business Unit manages the online
editions of SPH's major newspapers and magazines, which together
enjoy over 300 million pageviews a month. SPH also owns a 20% stake
in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels
5, 8, U and TV Mobile, and a 40% stake in MediaCorp Press Pte Ltd,
which publishes free newspaper Today. SPH operates two entertainment
radio channels, UFM 100.3 FM in Chinese and WKRZ 91.3 FM in English,
under a joint venture company UnionWorks with NTUC Media, and owns
an 80% stake in SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore’s largest
LED network media company.
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