A BIG cast of over 100 talented children is set to entertain you at ChildAid 2022, the annual charity concert that has been running for 18 consecutive years in aid of underprivileged kids. 

Organised by The Business Times and The Straits Times, this latest edition will see a return of spectacle and storytelling, after two ChildAid editions that were hampered by pandemic restrictions.  

Themed “All Together Now”, the 90-minute concert on Dec 13 will feature a wide range of musical performances, from the chart-topping hits of BTS to an ABBA medley; from the popular anthems of The Greatest Showman movie to the classical spirit of Mozart. 

Songs by Nicky Youre, One Republic, Elton John, Whitney Houston and Eurythmics are also featured. Tickets, priced at S$18, S$28 and S$38, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.

The songs form the backdrop to a fantastical tale about a group of friends who must journey through strange and enchanted worlds in order to get home. The cast comprises five actors, three instrumentalists, 30 singers and 65 dancers from approximately 40 different schools. 

Standout performers include the adorable 5-year-old pianist Shalom Shyann-E Ng who won first in Category 1 (for ages 6 and below) in the Amateur Class of the 2022 Steinway Youth Piano Competition. There’s also 13-year-old wunderkind Lim Jing Rui who can whistle just about any tune, including the musically complex Queen Of The Night from Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

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Husna Humaira M Hairie, a 12-year-old girl with a big voice, will be tackling a Whitney Houston number. There are self-taught K-pop dancers from Victoria Junior College and Woodlands Ring Secondary School, as well as an award-winning tap group from Jitterbugs Swingapore.

Creative director Jeremiah Choy, helming the concert for the ninth time, says: “We’re hoping to bring back the full-scale razzmatazz that ChildAid had become known for before the pandemic struck. The last two editions were subjected to a lot of restrictions, such as cast and crew sizes. This edition faces none of those, so we can all work closely together again to mount an incredible production.”

Choy is aided by music director Evan Low, choreographer Ahmad Kamil and vocal coaches from The Voice Company.  The show is produced by Global Cultural Alliance, with Orangedot Productions as creative partner. It will be staged at the NUS University Cultural Centre Ho Bee Auditorium.

Over the years, ChildAid has raised over S$25million for two charities, The Business Times Budding Artists Fund and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. The former helps artistically talented kids from disadvantaged families pursue their passions. The latter gives underprivileged kids money for lunch and transport fare to and from school.

UOB, Citi and MES are the main sponsors; Shinji is a platinum sponsor.

ChildAid 2022 runs at NUS University Cultural Centre on Dec 13 at 7.30pm. For tickets, visit str.sg/ca22tickets