Like countless other singer wannabes, 13-year-old Zack Hourihane has staged many rock concerts... in the comfort of his bedroom.

This year, he will finally get a taste of the real deal when he performs at Singapore's annual ChildAid charity concert in December. It will be staged for the first time at Resorts World at Sentosa and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

"Sometimes I have my concerts at 7am and my parents will tell me to 'be quiet' or to 'keep your music down'," says the fan of pop star Avril Lavigne and R&B singer Beyonce.

Zack, a student at United World College, will take part in the opening act and also emcee the concert, which is now in its fifth year.

Concertgoers can look forward to seeing the most performers ever to have taken part, plus more group acts and - for the first time - a full orchestra of over 70 players adding back-up oomph to the young stars on stage. There will also be another first: The orchestra will be joined by 11 harpist and 50 recorder players.

Even before tickets go on sale next month, a record sum of over $600,000 has already been raised from big-hearted corporate donors, topping last year's tally of $506,000.

Beneficiaries include The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which provides needy schoolchildren with pocket money.

Zack the early morning vocalist, along with three other singers, a choir and the full-on orchestra, will perform what promises to be a knock-out opening song - an original composition called Stars Out Tonight by Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Ismail.

Iskandar is also music director of this year's ChildAid.

More than 250 performers are taking part in the entire concert, a big increase from last year's 61.
This is partly because this year saw 550 acts audition for a spot to perform at ChildAid, as opposed to 360 last year.

Iskandar says: "It was a small programme when we first started, but over the years, there have been so many exceptional kids who want to get involved."

Indeed, to enable as many children as possible to perform, the concert will feature more group items, including a seven-member drum ensemble.

There will also be several large-scale production numbers choreographed by Jason Ramsburg from Universal Studios. Universal Studios has a theme park at Resorts World.

Iskandar says: "Many of our previous performers wanted to come back and help, but we have to turn many of them down because showcasing new talents is one of our objectives."

Ms Andrea Teo, vice-president of entertainment for Resorts World at Sentosa, echoed his sentiments. She says: "We are bursting at the seams with talent."

But organisers stress that ChildAid is not an idol search.

Mr Peter Khoo, organising chairman of ChildAid and the ST Pocket Money Fund, says: "While musical excellence is our first priority, we are also looking for people who have the love and want to serve. During the audition, the children had to give reasons why they wanted to take part."

The children's enthusiasm to give back to society is mirrored by corporate sponsors.

Despite the economic downturn, many have upped their donations.

Global bank HSBC tops the list of sponsors this year with a donation of $160,466. Porsche dealer Stuttgart Auto, New Creation Church and health supplement provider Cerebos also increased their donations to $100,000 each this year, an increase of about $50,000 to $70,000.

A thankful Mr Khoo says: "The applications to the fund from the first half of this year exceeded those from the whole of last year. There are real needs from the ground."

In addition to coping with the increased demand for charity, organisers face another new challenge - the fact that the venue is currently unfinished.

He adds: "We are planning on paper but no one knows how the sound or the lighting will be like. Even Sistic has never sold a single ticket for that venue."

But the organising committee remains optimistic.

"Rest assured that everyone at Resorts World Sentosa is going all out to ready the facilities for ChildAid," says Ms Teo.

Mr Khoo says: "We're opening at a very exciting venue and it'll be a great way to celebrate our fifth birthday."