PM Wong donates guitar to support music lessons for 600 underprivileged youth
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PM Lawrence Wong has signed and donated a guitar to raise funds for a new charity initiative aiming to support underserved youth to pursue music.
PHOTOS: LAWRENCEWONGST/INSTAGRAM, TIMBRE GROUP/YOUTUBE
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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has donated and signed a guitar in support of Gift A Guitar, a new charity initiative to provide underserved youth with guitars and music lessons.
Some 600 teenagers aged 13 to 19 will benefit from the initiative, which opens for applications in July. Gift A Guitar is launched by local charity organisation The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO) in partnership with arts and culture non-profit The Rice Company Limited to celebrate the nation’s 60th birthday in 2025.
The programme aims to empower young music talent here and give them the tools and resources necessary to pursue their musical aspirations.
To raise funds for Gift A Guitar, 60 guitars – donated by prominent figures such as local and regional artistes, as well as corporate sponsors – will be auctioned online in August. PM Wong’s signed guitar is among those that will go under the hammer at the auction, which will be open to bidders around the world.
PM Wong is a known music lover who has been playing the instrument for more than 40 years. He picked up the hobby as a boy, after his father gifted him a guitar.
Mr Danny Loong, chairman of SGMUSO and founder of local food and beverage, music and events company Timbre Group, similarly received a guitar from his father when he was 16.
Explaining why he started Gift A Guitar, he said in a statement: “That guitar sparked my passion for music, and I never looked back. I spent countless hours jamming with friends in church and at HDB void decks and East Coast beach, where music became a way to connect and express myself.
“These formative experiences inspired me to start Gift A Guitar – to give youth the same opportunity I had to discover music and to develop their own voices.”
Prior to the auction, the guitars will be exhibited to the public, though details about the venue and dates of the exhibition have yet to be confirmed.
Organisations and individuals interested in contributing guitars for auction or making a cash donation towards the initiative can e-mail and for more information.
