THE economic downturn did little to dampen the spirit of giving at the President's Star Charity show, which raised $5.04 million this year, a slight drop from last year's total of $5.4 million.
The theme of last night's show was Singapore Cabaret, a jazzy trip down memory lane hosted by actors Adrian Pang and Michelle Chia.
Popular stars from the 1960s flew into town to perform, including 1960s local pop sensation Veronica Young, 60, who lives in France, and Dutch singer Anneke Gronloh, 66, whose Malay songs captivated audiences here and in Malaysia in that era.
Modern-day performers such as Kym Ng and Fiona Xie sang Chinese cabaret numbers while deejay Vanessa Fernandez and former Singapore Idol participants Olinda Cho and Mathilda D'Silva performed a medley of songs by American female group The Supremes.
In the finale, President S R Nathan wrote Chinese calligraphy while the T'ang Quartet played in the background.
Mr Nathan told reporters after the show that he had been learning calligraphy for 11/2 years now and that the activity was 'therapeutic, especially when the mind is focused on the strokes and characters'.
On the amount raised, which will go to 31 beneficiaries, including the Assisi Hospice which looks after terminally-ill children and adults, and the Rainbow Centre which provides education for children with special needs.
Mr Nathan said: 'People have responded very kindly from all walks of life. I hope we can continue in our efforts to raise awareness about people who are less fortunate than us.'
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