SINGAPORE - In a fantasy world, five children and an artificial intelligence (AI) machine named Riley work hard to make the dreams of little ones come true.

But what happens when one of the children realises that Riley favours some dreams over others?

The audience at the Esplanade Theatre found out on Nov 29 during the opening night of ChildAid 2024: The Dream Emporium.

Marking the 20th edition of an annual charity concert organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, the exuberant musical featured 83 young performers, aged six to 19, who sang and danced to catchy tunes such as Empire State Of Mind by Alicia Keys and You’re Welcome from the Disney animated movie Moana.

The 90-minute show, directed by Krish Natarajan, celebrates dreams coming true and sows hope for the future, while acknowledging that not everyone gets the same opportunities in life.

Among the performers was pianist Jessie Meng, a 17-year-old Raffles Institution student, who is performing at ChildAid for the third time, after featuring in the 2013 and 2021 editions.

“Being able to use what I am good at to help people is very meaningful for me. It is also serves as a reminder of how privileged I am,” said Jessie, who was named a Young Steinway Artist by famed American piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons earlier in 2024, the youngest pianist given the honour.

Performing with Jessie was nine-year-old Travis Wong Kai Xuan, a violinist from Fairfield Methodist Primary School. Travis mused about his good experience participating in the show, where he made many friends.

Iva Haney Insyirah Hamizun Shah, 13, was a first-time performer at ChildAid. The Zhenghua Secondary student benefited from The Business Times Budding Artists Fund and wanted to give back to the community.

“(ChildAid) was definitle...