Sibling acts at ChildAid

A brother and sister will each put on a song-and-dance number, while three sisters will perform a jazz medley at this year's ChildAid charity concert

Performing at this year's ChildAid concert are the Braam sisters - (from far left) Dominique, Nicola and Danielle - as well as Aadeetiya Jayashanker and his sister, Jyotsnaa.
Performing at this year's ChildAid concert are the Braam sisters - (from far left) Dominique, Nicola and Danielle - as well as Aadeetiya Jayashanker and his sister, Jyotsnaa. ST PHOTO: MARCUS TAN

Music is in the blood of the passionate performers who will take the stage in November at the annual ChildAid charity concert.

The 90-minute show, to be held at Resorts World Sentosa, will feature song, dance and music performances by about 140 talents aged 19 and below, who were selected through auditions held earlier this year.

The concert, organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, raises funds for two children's charities - The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which gives pocket money to students from low-income families; and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which funds arts education for children and youth from underprivileged families. It is into its 12th edition and has to date raised $14 million for its beneficiaries.

For some of the performers, music literally runs in their blood.

  • BOOK IT / CHILDAID

  • WHERE: Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway

    WHEN: Nov 18 and 19, 7.30pm

    ADMISSION: Tickets at $18, $28 and $38 go on sale next month at Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)

Siblings were spotted among them at the event briefing held last Saturday at the concert venue.

Among them is the Braam sister trio - Nicola, 18, and twins Danielle and Dominique, both 16.

The sisters, whose father is Dutch and mother is Singaporean, will be performing a jazz medley with other band members and singers.

Each sister has a penchant for a different musical instrument - Dominique plays the violin, while Danielle prefers the trumpet. Nicola will be tinkling the ivories.

Dominique, who, like her sisters, attends an international school here, says: "Some people are not as privileged as we are. If we can make even one person happy for a day, that makes us happy, knowing that we made a change in the world."

Playing music together, however, is not always easy. Dominique, the older of the twins, says: "We play different instruments and we have our own ideas on how to play the piece."

Danielle chimes in, saying: "We have disagreements all the time. Sometimes, one person is playing too loudly."

But their tight-knit bond and understanding of one another's performance style means they always manage to resolve their conflicts.

Another set of siblings taking part is Aadeetiya Jayashanker, 10, and his sister, Jyotsnaa, eight, who will each perform a song-and-dance item. The Singaporean siblings' love of crooning comes from their mother, who is trained in classical Indian and Western singing.

Mrs Mayghala Jayashanker, 46, has been coaching her children in singing for five years. She and her husband - they work together at a procurement company in the hospitality industry - also send their kids to a performing arts academy to hone their dance and compering skills.

Aadeetiya, who is a Primary 4 pupil at Xinmin Primary School, says: "I like singing because it is a part of my life and it runs in our family's blood."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 19, 2016, with the headline Sibling acts at ChildAid. Subscribe