PARKROYAL AWARDS PERFORMING ARTS SCHOLARSHIPS TO WINNERS OF TALENT QUEST


Singapore, 6 June, 2008:  Twelve aspiring primary school-going performing arts talents sang their hearts out as family and supporters from their neighbourhood schools turned up to cheer them on at the inaugural Parkroyal Talent Quest which was held today at UOB Plaza Atrium, Raffles Place.

A large lunchtime crowd of curious passers-by gathered to watch the mesmerizing performers as they sang and danced on stage to familiar Broadway tunes and pop hits.

Ms Wee Wei Ling, Executive Director of Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts presented a trophy to the Grand Champion Ms Khairunissa Zanirah, as well as a total of four One-Year Scholarship prizes to the top four winners of the competition.

The four winners (not in order of merit) are as follows:
9 year-old Ms Khairunissa Zanirah from South View Primary School (Grand Champion)
8 year-old Ms Gwen Tan from CHIJ Kellock Convent (Best Singer)
12 year-old Ms Tissany Tan from Hougang Primary School
10 year-old Ms Vicknes Vijayarengan from CHIJ-OLN

The Grand Champion Khairunissa Zanirah will also be given a solo spot in JazzKids’ year-end annual concert, certainly an opportunity every budding performer aspires for.

An objective of this annual talent quest event is to recruit young undiscovered talents in the performing arts between the ages of eight and 12, and to offer them scholarships to train with JazzKids, a group of young performers who have also through Parkroyal initiatives, performed internationally.

The talent quest was designed to shine the spotlight on Singapore’s neighbourhood schools and their students.

Said Ms Wee Wei Ling, “This is the first time that Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts is organizing an event of this nature. We plan to make this an annual affair so that kids in Singapore’s grassroots can look forward to an avenue to vie for financial assistance in performing arts training.”

“Parkroyal Talent Quest is the ideal platform to provide exposure to children especially those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and to maximize their potential in the performing arts field.” adds Ms Wee.

Kids Performing, the competition co-organizer, received over 44 entries for the Qualifying Rounds. Twenty shortlisted participants competed in the Semi-Finals of the event and 12 finalists were selected to compete in the Grand Finals.

For Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts, supporting JazzKids has been part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme since 2007. Underlying this support is the Group’s commitment to nurturing and developing young performing arts talents and giving opportunities to the financially disadvantaged.