NINE-YEAR-OLD Chow Lianzheng is autistic, but his love for music takes him beyond this learning disability.

Together with 44 schoolmates from Metta School, which provides special education to children with mild intellectual disabilities, Lianzheng will perform publicly for the first time, playing an Indonesian musical instrument called the angklung, at the Community Chest's TrueHearts Charity Show this month.

Said music teacher Emily Tseng, 41, who has taught angklung to Metta's students for more than two years: 'Each angklung plays only one note, so it has taken the children a lot of practice to coordinate and play one song in one accord.'

Also taking part are 100 beneficiaries of the ComChest, who will be accompanied by local and foreign artistes, like singers A-Mei, Gao Ling-feng and Taiwanese band May Day.

The National Council of Social Service (NCSS), which administers ComChest, hopes the three-hour TV fund-raiser will raise more than last year's sum of $2.9 million for its 350,000 beneficiaries.

The amount raised will be part of $43 million needed to fund 137 social service programmes that help children, people with disabilities, the elderly and families in distress.

Gimmicks or stunts are absent from the show, said NCSS president Gerard Ee. 'The items are simple but prepared with effort from our beneficiaries and volunteers.'

He hopes the event will raise greater public awareness about the less advantaged, and persuade Singaporeans to donate generously.

'In every estate, we have at least one neighbour who has a disability,' said Mr Ee. 'By bringing them to the forefront, we want to encourage society to adopt a more positive mindset towards disabled people and to develop greater compassion for them.'

The live show will be telecast on Channel 8 from 7pm to 10pm and repeated on Nov 28 from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

From now until midnight on Nov 28, donors can make $8, $28 and $88 pledges by calling 1900-112-6808, 1900-112-6828 and 1900-112-6888 respectively.