(VOVworld) - Legendary American singer/songwriter Billy Joel once said: “Music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by.” The Cham (Touch) volunteer group in Hanoi proved it last week by organizing a fund-raising concert named “One and a half hours”. VOV’s Thanh Ha reports.

The sound of guitars and drums checking amplifier levels as people started filling into Hanoi Rock City’s concert hall signaled the imminent start of the “One and a half hour” concert. The title said it all. For one and a half hours, the audience was about to enjoy some original music created by young artists.

Alternative rok and indie rock were the main genres featured in the concert. The songs had titles like “Geek”, “White monster”, “The alley”, and “It seems”. Their lyrics reflected everyday things happening in the artists’ lives, which seemed to touch the audience’s heart. Excited clapping, waving and screaming blended into the catchy beats and thrilling melodies.

Young artists at "One and a half hours" concert

“One and a half hours” was not just a pure concert; it was a fund-raising event, organized by the Cham (Touch) group of students who want to help children, especially child patients. Thien Trang, leader of the group, said: “Child patients spend a lot of time in the hospital so they have less opportunity to study or have fun than other kids. So we decided to organize music and art classes in the hospitals, to let them communicate with each other between treatments. We believe art has a special pervasive power and can be absorbed much more easily than other kinds of knowledge. The “One and a half hours” concert is held to raise money for the classes.”

Cham’s activities receive strong support from the community. Several sponsors have been lined up. Dang Hong Quan, head of Gau Uniform marketing team, said: “Our company has been collaborating with Cham for a long time in many of their charity activities. We appreciate their good intentions and we want to contribute to making their wish come true, which is to make life better.”

Indeed, Trang believes the “One and a half hours” concert can make life better in many ways: “We believe the concert will be an interesting way for young people to have fun. The bands performing at our concerts are mostly underground artists who desire an opportunity to promote their original music to the public. So we want to connect them with an audience in a fun musical atmosphere.”

Green 8+1 band

The concert featured 5 young bands and some solo artists from Hanoi, some of them quite well-known among today’s underground artists. They brought along their best original works and performed them with high spirit, not forgetting to ask for donations to help child patients. Duong The Trung, a member of Green 8+1 band said: “We have great passion for music and consider playing music a hobby and a time to enjoy ourselves. But when we got an invitation from the Cham group, we were delighted and felt this would be a good opportunity to promote ourselves. It’s also our contribution to society. We’re calling on people to donate money for the children. If we are invited to other meaningful events like this, we’ll be very willing to say yes.”

Products sold at the concert for fund-raising

The audience responded enthusiastically to Trung’ words, buying gloves and beanies sold at the concert to raise money over and above the ticket fees. Phan Hoang said: “I really enjoyed the music tonight. The artists featured in the concert are young bands with unique music styles. Their songs are original and catchy. Enjoying music while doing charity work at the same time is the best of both worlds for me!”

After the concert, the Cham volunteer group will use the proceeds for a trip to Cao Son commune, Hoa Binh province, to organize art classes for the children there.