A day of music to keep the hospital blues away

SINGAPORE - More than 250 musicians converged on the campus of Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on Friday to lift patients' spirits with impromptu live performances.

They burst into song and plucked at their instruments in lobbies, wards, outpatient clinics and open spaces.

Every part of the campus was treated to a musical feast - from choirs singing to pop rock and even Disney song parodies.

The MusicFest@SGH event is run by the hospital and stage company Sing'theatre.

It was inspired by Fete de la Musique, which began in France 31 years ago and gathers professional or amateur musicians to perform for free on the streets.

More than 35 groups gave up their time to play at yesterday's event. There were around 60 performances between 10am and 5.30pm.

The day culminated in a concert finale with performances by celebrities such as Singaporean radio DJ and actor Hossan Leong and Spanish flamenco maestro Antonio Vargas.

French Ambassador Olivier Caron was the guest of honour.

The event was part of Sing'theatre's plans to help the community and introduce live music to places that are not traditionally used as concert venues.

"I wanted to bring performing arts to hospitalised patients who usually have little or no access to it at a time they need it the most," said MusicFest@SGH producer Nathalie Ribette.

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