Three corporations have come on board to play a major role in the upcoming Sing50 mega concert to mark half a century of Singapore music since independence.
Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd (Mapletree), Resorts World Sentosa and Zurich Insurance are the main sponsors of the show set to take place at National Stadium on Aug 7. Up to 50,000 people are expected to attend the concert.
Mapletree, the concert's presenter, will sponsor $1 million. Resort World Sentosa, the supporting presenter, will sponsor $500,000 as well as its venue spaces to promote the concert.
Zurich will donate $5 for every audience at the concert and the proceeds will go towards children charities The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.
Sing50, which is part of Singapore's golden jubilee celebrations, will feature iconic home-grown artists, new talents, a 120-strong orchestra, a 1,000-member choir, about 100 rappers and 50 pianists performing on Steinway-designed Lang Lang grand pianos. The night's programme comprises songs in all four official languages that are and have been popular here since 1965 when Singapore gained independence. The Straits Times and The Business Times are the concert's organisers.
Members of the public will also play a major part in the performance. Auditions will be held for amateur musicians and singers to perform on stage together with the professionals. The organisers are now looking for 1,000 choir singers, 100 rappers, 50 pianists and 40 musicians to be part of the 120-strong Metropolitan Festival Orchestra.
Interested applicants can go to the Sing50 website at www.sing50concert.sg for details on how to apply. Those shortlisted will be called for live auditions.
Mapletree's group chief executive officer, Mr Hiew Yoon Khong, says that the company is supportive of the show because it "showcases the much-loved and popular Singapore songs and talents that most of us grew up with".
He adds: "Many of these songs reflect our common aspirations, which will further reinforce the bond among Singaporeans."
Resorts World Sentosa's chief executive officer, Mr Tan Hee Teck, describes the Sing50 concert as an event of "an unprecedented scale", and calls it an "excellent platform to promote Singapore music and talent".
For Zurich, the concert "complements its commitment to this market and community".
Mr Peter Huber, chief executive officer of the company's life insurance business in Singapore, says: "We pride ourselves on being a company that contributes to wider societal goals and this partnership is another sign of how we strive to continually improve our positive impact on Singapore's society."
The three corporations will also contribute marketing expertise and use their extensive network to spread the word of the concert to the community and schools.
