12 Year Old Singaporean Pianist Hillary O'Sullivan Plays a Rhapsody for Antarctica
Hillary O’Sullivan Hillary O’Sullivan
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 Published On Premiered Jul 7, 2023

In February this year, I was invited to participate in the Antarctic Climate Expedition (ACE) 2023. As the youngest ambassador on board, this journey into Antarctic was mind-blowing to say the least! A piano composition "Rhapsody for the Changing Antarctic" was specially composed by @EricBETTENS for the expedition. His music expresses the dire straits Antarctic is now in, as well as the urgency our entire ecosystem faces: melting polar regions, rising sea levels, the #climatecrisis. Can you hear the cry of Antarctic's wildlife? Penguins are losing their habitat due to loss of sea ice coverage in summer, they are dying from hunger due to overfishing of krill, and baby penguins are left orphans and dying when their parents did not return with food. Can you hear the glaciers melting and calving, no longer able to withstand the heat of global warming? Can you hear the oceans crying, with oceanic currents so warm, the cold deep currents stopped flowing as they should? I can hear all these when I play this music.


When I was first invited by Michael Aw from ‪@OceanGeographic‬, I felt really excited to have the opportunity to learn more about Antarctica, and spread an important message to the world. I did not realize how much I would learn, nor how much I would, and could do! Advocating for climate change and the ocean crisis started when I boarded the ‪@AuroraExpeditions‬ ship that brought us to Antarctica. I thought I would just be playing the piano, but now I know so much more about how real climate change is, I want to use music to convey more about the climate crisis we all face.

On 23rd June, in the presence of Singapore Minister Indranee Rajah, Dr Sylvia Earle, Michael Aw and other guests, I perform the Rhapsody at the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition "Melting Ice, Sinking Cities" at Singapore's Botanic Gardens. I'm so happy that two of the photographs I took during the expedition made it to the photo exhibition as well!

Thank you Michael Aw, Eric Bettens, ‪@citydevelopmentslimited1350‬ and also ‪@FazioliPianos‬ for sponsoring the piano specially for the performance!

Follow me on Instagram   / hillaryosullivan  
Follow me on YouTube    / @hillaryosullivan  

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