OVER two nights, more than 100 young performers sang, danced, drummed and strummed to help underprivileged children.

GIVING IT THEIR ALL: Early birds at the show were rewarded with three pre-concert performances, one of which was a cha-cha and jive dance performed by Chloe Jong, 12, and her brother Deon, 10.

They were helping to raise funds for ChildAid, an annual charity showcase of young musical talents, which was held at the University Cultural Centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS) last night and Tuesday night.

The concert featured 17 acts in total, ranging from piano duets to jazz solo items.

ChildAid, which has been staged annually since 2005, is organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times newspapers, with the NUS Centre for the Arts as the venue and production partner.

A record $450,000 was raised for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artist Fund this year.

This is far more than the initial target of $300,000, and it also surpasses the $390,000 raised last year.

Last night's event was also graced by guest-of-honour President S R Nathan, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo and Singapore Press Holdings chairman Dr Tony Tan.