Sing-along for S'pore with 10,000 people

Come July, about 10,000 people will gather at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for a mass sing-along session to celebrate Singapore's 50th anniversary.

The SG50 Great Singapore Sing-along will see local singers such as Ms Zhuangxue Fang and Mr Huang Qing Yuan lead the audience through the songs that had made these veterans household names from the 1950s to 2000.

Produced by TCR Music Station producer Cai Yiren, the sing-along will be open to the public and representatives of the 50 companies involved.

It is organised by 50 Singapore entrepreneurs and jointly presented by the People's Association and Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese Media Group.

The event's organising committee chairman, Mr George Quek, who is chairman of local brand BreadTalk Group, and committee members had put the event together in just over two months.

He said: "Every Singaporean, every local entrepreneur and every growth of local brands are precious stories of Singapore.

"And they can be made into a moving song, worth celebrating and passing down."

For some participants, joining the event is more than just about the singing.

One of them, Mr Liu Thai Ker, who served as the chief executive director of the Housing Board from 1979 to 1989 and then as chief executive of the Urban Development Authority between 1989 and 1992, said: "The point of this event is to say that Singapore is a beautiful homeland."

Now the senior director at RSP Architects Planners and Engineering, Mr Liu added that while urban planning is important for a nation, music and sports are the biggest driving forces.

"With everyone singing and dancing together, it's not something that is easy to forget," he said.

Mr Huang too had reason to join in the SG50 sing-along.

The veteran singer began singing 50 years ago in 1965, after winning a competition organised to promote racial harmony.

"It was near independence then," Mr Huang said, adding that he will be back this July "to sing with the people who grew up with me".

andreang@sph.com.sg

The event will be held on July 11 at 7.30pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are on sale at $38 and $28 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, all SingPost outlets, online at www.sportshubtix.sg, or via the phone on 6333-5000.

This article was first published on May 16, 2015.
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