Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) annual children’s charity concert, ChildAid, which is organised in aid of The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund (SPMF) and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BTBAF), will be held at the Resorts World Sentosa on 17and 18 December 2010.
This is the sixth year that ChildAid is taking place, and the second year it is being held at Resorts World Sentosa.
Showcasing young musical talents from Singapore and around the region, ChildAid 2010 features 13 acts to be performed by 144 talents aged between seven and 19 years. The acts cover diverse music genres such as classical, pop-rock and hip-hop and feature songs, dances and instrumental performances on the flute, piano and drums. The artistic director for ChildAid 2010 is Cultural Medallion winner and well-known local composer/arranger Iskandar Ismail, who was also responsible for the past four ChildAid concerts.
Some of the notable ChildAid 2010 musical acts include two performers from the Chinese city of Tianjin – pianist Wang Xiaoxiao, 12, and violinist Wu Peixuan,10; daughter-father pair Nathania and Kevin Ong who will perform a vocal duet; and Nikolai Song, the seven-year-old boy of Korean-Russian parentage, who will do a soloist flute performance backed by local amateur group, the Orchestra Of The Music Makers.
See Appendix 1 for the complete line-up of performers for ChildAid 2010.
Established on 1 October 2000, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. It has raised over $30million to support over 85,000 cases of needy children from low-income homes with money to buy food during recess.
The Business Times Budding Artists Fund was launched on 11 May 2005 and provides support for artistically gifted children from underprivileged families to develop their talents. In the last five years, it has supported 7,000 children to pursue their artistic interests.
Mr Seow Choke Meng, Organising Chairman of ChildAid 2010, said “I am very pleased and grateful for the generosity shown by the corporates and public in supporting ChildAid 2010 and our charities, SPMF and BAF. Our young and talented performers have been working very hard and I am looking forward to an exciting and memorable concert showcasing the best of our young musical talents doing their bid to help their less-fortunate peers.”
A total of $1.28 m – a record amount in the event’s six year history – was raised from ChildAid 2010 through the sponsorships and donations from both companies and individuals. This surpasses the $1 million mark set for ChildAid 2009.
See Appendix 2 for a list of ChildAid 2010 sponsors and donors.
The Guest-of-Honour for the gala concert on 18 December is Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence. Dr Tony Tan, Chairman of SPH and Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman of Resorts World Sentosa, will also be attending.
ChildAid 2010 tickets have been sold out. 3,724 people are expected to watch the two-day concert.
Download Appendix 1 – ChildAid 2010 Programme (12 KB)
Download Appendix 2 – ChildAid 2010 sponsors and donors (10 KB)
Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Co. Regn. No. 198402868E
For more information, and media requests to interview the performers, please contact
Khalid Khamis (Mr)
Editorial Projects Unit
English & Malay Newspapers Division
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Tel: 6319 5669
Email: khalidk@sph.com.sg
Melissa Sim (Ms)
Editorial Projects Unit
English & Malay Newspapers Division
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Tel: 6319 5532
Email: simlinoi@sph.com.sg
Yeo Siew Chi (Mr)
Corporate Communications Division
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Tel: 6319 1586
Email: yeosc@sph.com.sg
About The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund
The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund was launched on Children’s Day, on 1 October 2000 by The Straits Times, to highlight the plight of children from low-income families who had no money to buy a meal during lunch school recess.
The aim is to alleviate the financial burden faced by struggling parents in providing for their children’s education. At the same time, the funds help children who are already facing difficulties in remaining in staying on in school.
As the official fund-raiser, The Straits Times rallies support for the cause and appeals to the public for donations. It collaborates with different partners for various fund-raising activities.
The Straits Times works very closely with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the fund administrator. NCSS disburses the funds to the beneficiaries through its network of family service centres, special schools and children’s homes.
About The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF)
Launched by The Old Parliament House Ltd, a not-for-profit organisation incorporated by the National Arts Council, and adopted by The Business Times in 2005, the BT BAF originated from a conviction that no child with strong interest and artistic potential should be deprived of the opportunity to develop his or her talents because of socio-economic circumstances.
Since then, the BT BAF has reached out to more than 5,000 disadvantaged children between the ages of 5 and 12 years through a variety of programmes ranging from arts camps, workshops, and signature performance events. The funding from the BT BAF is critical in providing opportunities for disadvantaged children to discover hidden artistic talent and to develop their self worth. By focusing on the Arts, the BT BAF encourages the development of creativity among the young.
About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Incorporated in 1984, main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. It is Southeast Asia’s leading media organisation, engaging minds and enriching lives across multiple languages and platforms.
Newspapers and Magazines
In Singapore, SPH publishes 17 newspaper titles in four languages. Every day, 3 million individuals or 77 per cent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH’s news publications. SPH also publishes and produces more than 100 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology.
Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers enjoy over 225 million pageviews with 15 million unique visitors every month. Apart from SPH AsiaOne portal, SPH’s online and new media initiatives include an online marketplace for products, services and employment, ST701; Stomp (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging; omy.sg, a bilingual news and interactive portal and The Straits Times RazorTV, a free access interactive webcast service offering live chat shows and video-on-demand clips.
Broadcasting
SPH has a 20 per cent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8 and U, and a 40 per cent stake in MediaCorp Press Limited, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. In the radio business, SPH has an 80 per cent stake in SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd, which operates entertainment stations Radio 100.3 in Mandarin and 91.3FM in English.
Events and Outdoor Advertising
SPH’s events subsidiary Sphere Exhibits organises innovative consumer and trade events and exhibitions. In addition, SPH has ventured into out-of-home (OOH) advertising through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore’s leading Digital Out-of-Home advertising company.
Properties
SPH owns and manages Paragon, the prime retail and office complex in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping belt. SPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, has also developed a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road. The Clementi Mall, SPH’s latest retail mall, will be operational in 2011.