{"id":55654,"date":"2026-05-27T10:43:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=55654"},"modified":"2026-05-27T10:43:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:43:39","slug":"concert-viva-spore-students-take-the-stage-to-help-the-visually-impaired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=55654","title":{"rendered":"Concert Viva: S\u2019pore students take the stage to help the visually impaired"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 <!-- -->On a recent <!-- -->Sunday<!-- -->, groups of teens streamed in and out of a small music studio at Golden Mile Tower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">They were<!-- --> there<!-- --> to rehearse their sets for Concert Viva, a fundraising event for the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) that will be held on June 2 at youth hangout *Scape in Orchard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The student-initiated concert is led by St Joseph\u2019s Institution Year 6 student Ryan Asher Koo, 18, whose father suffers from glaucoma, a condition that leads to the loss of peripheral vision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Ryan, who plays the guitar and will perform at the concert, said the concept for the event <!-- -->came <!-- -->from a conversation with friends in 2025 <!-- -->about bringing<!-- --> together their love for music for a good cause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">They decided on the SAVH as a beneficiary, partly because<!-- --> Ryan was familiar with the charity<!-- --> through his father.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"landscape inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/6ed167b840e3cc7f35508fa80d0e0d530ea85e71f56b5d263e167a1302ac6592?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/6ed167b840e3cc7f35508fa80d0e0d530ea85e71f56b5d263e167a1302ac6592?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px and max-width: 3999px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/6ed167b840e3cc7f35508fa80d0e0d530ea85e71f56b5d263e167a1302ac6592?w=900\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 4000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/6ed167b840e3cc7f35508fa80d0e0d530ea85e71f56b5d263e167a1302ac6592\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/6ed167b840e3cc7f35508fa80d0e0d530ea85e71f56b5d263e167a1302ac6592\" alt=\"Ryan Asher Koo said the concept for the event came from a conversation with friends in 2025 about bringing together their love for music for a good cause.\" class=\"aspect-landscape flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover landscape article-landscape mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">Ryan Asher Koo said the concept for the event came from a conversation with friends in 2025 about bringing together their love for music for a good cause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-placeholder\" data-testid=\"inline-media-credit-test-id\">ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The teenager roped in 10 students to join him in organising the concert, during which they learnt more about SAVH and its work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cEarly on, our core team visited SAVH and got to meet the community in person and that visit genuinely changed everything for us. Hearing their stories firsthand was really moving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cOne woman shared how her visual impairment made her feel like her own home was a prison, and she didn\u2019t know how to leave the house on her own. And she talked about how SAVH helped her rediscover her confidence and her independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Through canvassing friends and friends of friends,<!-- --> more than <!-- -->80 students \u2013 mostly aged 16 to 19 \u2013 will be involved in the concert in different capacities, including about 50 performers who will sing, dance, or play musical instruments. The students come from about 10 schools, including National Junior College <!-- -->(NJC)<!-- -->, School of the Arts, and Anglo-Chinese School (both Independent and International).<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">One of the unique aspects of the event i<!-- -->s that it is staged by young people featuring <!-- -->performances by<!-- --> young people and targeted at <!-- -->a young audience<!-- -->, said the organisers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Said Gisele Chiam, 17, a Senior High 2 student from<!-- --> NJC<!-- --> and the second-in-charge of Concert Viva: \u201c<!-- -->We<!-- --> really wanted to create a concert that is targeted<!-- --> at<!-- --> youth<!-- -->\u2026 (and)<!-- --> make sure that it is something that would be engaging for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Among the acts is student band Ducking Ducks, which has close to 37,000 followers on Instagram. The band comprises five Sec<!-- -->ondary<!-- --> 4 students from St Joseph\u2019s Institution International. For their Concert Viva performance, they<!-- --> will be<!-- --> joined by an older brother<!-- --> of one band member<!-- --> and <!-- -->will perform<!-- --> covers of popular songs, such as Maroon 5\u2019s This Love.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Lending star power to the event is singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng, <!-- -->who is the <!-- -->guest performer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Through a mix of corporate sponsorships<b>, <\/b>donations<!-- --> and ticket sales, the concert aims to raise $50,000 for SAVH.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Said a SAVH spokesperson: \u201cIt is not uncommon for schools and student groups to approach SAVH for collaborations, fundraising projects, or volunteering opportunities. What stands out about Concert Viva is the scale of the initiative and the level of ownership shown by the students in driving the project from concept to execution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A total of 750 tickets are on sale<!-- -->, priced between $12 and $15 each, depending on <!-- -->whether<!-- --> they are bought individually or as part of a bundle. For more information and tickets, <!-- -->check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tixtree.com\/o\/concert-viva?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tixtree.com\/o\/concert-viva?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">https:\/\/www.tixtree.com\/o\/concert-viva<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/concert-viva-spore-students-take-the-stage-to-help-the-visually-impaired\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 On a recent Sunday, groups of teens streamed in and out of a small music studio at Golden Mile Tower. They were there&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}