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Celine Sun

Three young singers are giving their dads a special treat this  Father's Day - they are dedicating two musicals, in which they are starring, to their fathers.

The  students - Dorothy Tang, Michelle Cheung and Valerie Chan - were selected from more than 50 candidates competing for the principal roles and solo singer position in Granpa and The Bear.

The  City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong is playing the score.

'This is a good chance for parents to take their children to see a show. The music is  accessible and immediately appealing, and the stories are heartwarming' said Leanne Nicholls, artistic director of the orchestra.

Both musicals were written by award-winning British composer Howard Blake.

One of his most well-known works, the animated film The Snowman, is screened on TVB every New Year's Eve.

Granpa tracks the fantastic adventures of Emily (played by Dorothy)  and her grandfather (played by veteran Hong Kong actor/singer Joe Junior).

Each time Emily visits her  grandfather they whisk themselves away  to extraordinary, imagined places.

The Bear  is about a  girl named Tilly (played by Michelle) who drops her favourite teddy bear into the polar bear's pit  at the zoo.

So begins a magical friendship which leads to a  bear-ride through the crisp night to meet the star bear.

All the three  actresses have long been members of  their school choirs, and each plays more than one musical instrument.

With the  performance coming up on June 19, the trio seem  more excited than nervous.

'This is the first time  any of us have worked with a professional orchestra,' said 12-year-old Michelle  who is a student at the Diocesan Girls' Junior School.

'It's different from singing in a choir. We have to learn to work closely with others, and we  have to be a hundred per cent sure  we know the words.'

The  girls  practise almost every day,  singing along with CDs or  to their music teachers.

They said  they learned a lot from the experience.

Valerie, from Marymount Secondary School, said: 'When I went to concerts  in the past, I  saw only the surface of the performance. Now I  understand  what goes on behind the scenes. It's fascinating!'

The 15-year-old soprano is singing Make Believe Song in Granpa, which was originally sung by pop diva Sarah Brightman.

'She [Brightman] is a very good singer.   I know I have to  sing well as she's so famous,' Valerie said.

Dorothy, aged 11, is the youngest of the three. She said she hopes the musicals will bring families together on Father's Day.

'We are  dedicating these shows to our  fathers,' said Dorothy.

Granpa and The Bear will be staged at 3pm on June 19 in the Auditorium of the Tsuen Wan Town Hall



Family harmony through song