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Dazzling night of performances as ChildAid raises $2m

31 young stars take the stage at 17th run of charity concert, attended by close to 500 people in person

Performers as young as eight years old stole the show – and hearts – at children’s charity concert ChildAid last night, raising a total of $2,008,711 by the end of the event.

Themed “Virtuoso”, the concert, which is in its 17th year, was held at Resorts World Sentosa.

Organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, the annual event raises funds for the ST School Pocket Money Fund, which provides financial assistance to needy children from low-income families, as well as the BT Budding Artists Fund, which aids artistically talented youth from less privileged households.

President Halimah Yacob, who was the guest of honour, and her husband, Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, joined close to 500 people at the fully vaccinated event.

SPH Media Trust chairman Khaw Boon Wan and interim chief executive Patrick Daniel were also in the audience.
The concert was live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube, as well as on the ST and BT websites.

ST School Pocket Money Fund chairman Warren Fernandez, who is editor-in-chief of SPH Media Trust’s English, Malay and Tamil Media Group and editor of The Straits Times, said: “ChildAid continues to be a showcase of young people’s talent and their compassion for others.

“Over the years, this has become an event that many people look forward to.”

A total of 31 performers, aged eight to 17, took to the stage this year, down from the usual cast size before the pandemic, which could go up to 200.

Among the 13 acts was a solo ballet performance by Maxine Mok, 12, who danced to Princess Florine Variation from The Sleeping Beauty.

“Seeing people watch me perform, and then donating to help other children who want to pursue the arts like me, is very meaningful,” she said, adding that she was excited to perform for the first time at ChildAid.

Jessie Meng, 14, was happy to return to the ChildAid stage after her first performance eight years ago in 2013 at the age of six. She said the last time she played the piano in front of a large live audience was before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I really appreciate this opportunity to do what makes me happy and makes other people happy too,” she said.

Mr Patwant Singh, 55, his wife and their two children, attended the concert for the first time.

The polytechnic lecturer said: “I think the performers really excelled, even at their young age. You can really see their talent. It was very well put together.”

The main sponsors of the event this year are UOB and Mini Environment Service, while the platinum sponsors are Citi and Tote Board.

Resorts World Sentosa is the venue partner, while the concert’s creative partner is Orangedot Productions, with Global Cultural Alliance as the executive producer.

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 10Square.

● Donations can be made via str.sg/donateCA21 till Dec 18.

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission