PM Lawrence Wong's signed guitar goes to tech firm Sea for $650k in charity auction

A guitar signed by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has raked in $650,000 at a charity auction. 

The known music lover donated his 11-year-old 30th Anniversary Custom 24 in April for Gift a Guitar, an initiative to support underprivileged youth with music lessons. 

Local tech firm Sea won with a bid of $650,000 at the online auction last month, which also included personal guitars from singers JJ Lin and Taufik Batisah, as well as Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education David Neo. 

PM Wong presented his guitar to Sea’s founder Forrest Li at a music festival in Fort Canning Park on Saturday (Dec 6). 

The Sing60 Music Festival, which was attended by over 6,300 people, saw performances from local stars across generations — and 60 young guitarists who are beneficiaries of the charity drive. 

The money raised in the Gift a Guitar auction will help pay for guitars and lessons for 600 youths aged between 13 and 19, according to charity groups The Rice Company Limited (TRCL) and The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO). 

In a statement, Li said that owning PM Wong’s guitar is "meaningful" as it represents a "shared belief that young people should have avenues to explore and express themselves through music". 

"Supporting Gift a Guitar is a way for us to encourage this growth and we are glad to contribute to the development of young musicians in our community," he added. 

Santhiya Subra, head of arts and community at TRCL, said that Gift a Guitar is "more than an auction — a movement grounded in the belief that arts should be accessible to all". 

"Through music, TRCL and SGMUSO aim to widen creative pathways, strengthen community ties and empower young people with the confidence to pursue their aspirations both on and off the stage." 

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chingshijie@asiaone.com