Young newcomers help raise over $13K for Charlottetown's QEH

Not long after 14-year-old Peter Ngo and his family arrived on P.E.I. from Vietnam, his father was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with a health problem. 

Ngo said he will always remember the doctors and nurses who treated his dad, and how well they took care of him.

So when he heard about a benefit concert to raise money for medical equipment at the QEH, he said he didn't hesitate to sign up to perform.

"They saved my dad from almost like the last minute of his life, so I'm thankful for them. That's why I'm here today."

Ngo can play nine different instruments. At the July 22 charity concert, Gift for the Future, he performed a rendition of Amazing Grace on the clarinet. 

The concert received donations from many newcomer groups on P.E.I. including the Chinese, Vietnamese and Egyptian communities, and raised more than $13,000 for the QEH Foundation, which raises funds to purchase medical equipment for the hospital.

Another 14-year-old performer, Rey Tao, came to the Island from China with his family four years ago. The trumpeter said he's interested in performing at events that can make a difference in the community. 

In 2019, Tao won a gold medal at the P.E.I. Kiwanis Provincial Music Festival, but he said performing at charity concerts is a much more meaningful and rewarding experience.

"It's a very interesting, unique way to show your passion for music and also raising money for others," Tao said.

So when his mother suggested he join the Gift for the Future lineup, he said he agreed right away.

"I feel like this concert is something that is worth doing," said Tao.

The show's art director Vivian Zhou said young performers like Ngo and Tao put in a lot of effort to make the show happen.

"They spent a lot of time practising instruments at home, hours and hours of practice," she said.

Zhou left China for P.E.I. nine years ago and recently graduated from an arts-based high school in the U.S.