Tickets for ChildAid go on sale this Friday!

Singapore, 31 October 2005 - Tickets for the first-ever ChildAid, the children's charity concert by The Straits Times and The Business Times, will be available through SISTIC and its authorised agents, from Nov 4.

ChildAid, held 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. Only tickets for Dec 8 are on sale at $25, $15 and $10. The gala concert for corporate sponsors on Dec 7 is by invite only.

ChildAid would not have been possible without the support of its venue partner University Cultural Centre.

Christine Khor, Director, The Centre for the Arts, National University of Singapore said " The NUS Centre for the Arts is pleased to partner SPH in ChildAid concert to support the two charitable causes which involve the young people and the arts. Using CFA's own talents and resources, our staff will be responsible for the design, production and technical management of the show. We hope to enhance the show's professional and creative levels."

The first four ChildAid performers announced were pianist Abigail Sin, violinist Loh Jun Hong, jazz singer Nathan Hartono and The Straits Times School of Rock champions, 3dash1.

Organisers today released another four names representing a range of different talents. They are:

1. Victoria Junior College choir

One of the top choirs in Singapore, the VJC choir has won multiple awards including the coveted “Gold with Honours” in this year’s Singapore Youth Festival 2005. Internationally, it did Singapore proud by clinching Gold Medals in all three categories it competed in - Musica Sacra, Contemporary and Open Mix at the recent Choir Olympics 2004 held at Bremen, Germany. It has performed at numerous public concerts and at venues including the Esplanade Concert Hall. The choir was also invited to sing in the finals of the Singapore Idols last December.

2. Ashton de Silva and R. Reynita

Eight-year-old Ashton de Silva and seven-year-old R Reynita have won numerous awards and accolades in ballroom dancing since they started competing together in 2004. Trained at the Wanna Rock ‘n’ Dance Studio, they were judged first for different Latin American Ballroom Championships eight times at the national and Southeast Asian level. Being young certainly has been no obstacle as they have topped the Under 12 category three times, beating contestants older than them.

3. Jazzkids

Created in May 2004, by veteran musician Kuo Po, JazzKids is made up of children age between 8 to 14 years singing and performing big band, swing, and Jazz standards. They are the first group of children in Singapore performing this genre of music. This year, the group performed at the Arts House and the Esplanade, including a sold-out concert for the Octoburst Festival 2004. They were the youngest Jazz performers for the very first Mosaic Festival, Singapore’s equivalent of the Montreal Jazz Festival. Charity events they performed for include the Kids Horizon Appeal Gala where President SR Nathan was the Guest of Honour. JazzKids was also invited to be part of The Straits Times’ 160th anniversary concert at the Botanical Gardens attended by over 8,000 people.

4. Janani Sridhar

At the age of 10, Janani started vocal lessons and now at 15, is under the tutelage of soprano Jeong Ae Ree. In 2004, Janani clinched the first place at the 58th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 2004 in the “Vocal Solo under 16” category. Described as a “gifted singer” by the jury, Janani is the first Singaporean to emerge top at this international event. Locally, Janani has performed at the Esplanade, Asian Civilisations Museum, the Singapore Conference Hall and the Victoria Concert Hall. She has also sung at high-profile events such as the National Arts Council’s Patron of the Arts Award Ceremony and the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Festival 2003. Most recently in July, she received the 2005 HSBC Youth Excellence Award for musical excellence.

Sponsorship packages for the opening gala night are still available. 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

This press release was written by teenagers Mark Lim, 16, Nur Safiah Alias, 14, and Rajesh Misir, 16. They are being trained in public relations as part of ChildAid's aim of showcasing and developing young Singaporean talent.

The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fundhelps 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.

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.