Despite her young age, award-winning Singaporean pianist Hillary O’Sullivan, 13, has been working hard to advocate for environmental protection. In February 2023, O’Sullivan embarked on an expedition to the Antarctic as part of a 120-member team finding ways to mitigate climate change. She was the youngest member of that expedition.

A few months later, in October, O’Sullivan was invited to perform at Bhutan’s Royal Highland Festival where she captivated attendees with a piano recital of Belgian composer Eric Bettens' Rhapsody Of A Changing Antarctic. Her performance even touched Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who hugged her afterwards.

Produced by Singapore-based studio White Room Studio, The Girl And Her Piano is a short film that documents O’Sullivan's journey in Bhutan as well as the environmental issues affecting the Himalayan region which include melting glaciers and rising temperatures. The documentary is set to be released online in 2025 with plans for a screening in Bhutan.

In an interview with CNA Lifestyle, O'Sullivan and her mother Elaine Lim – who directed the documentary – spoke about how the opportunity to perform in Bhutan came about and how they're still fighting against global warming.

Rhapsody Of A Changing Antarctic was actually composed specially for O’Sullivan's Antarctic expedition. According to Lim, the piece aimed to "convey the dire straits our planet is in due to global warming and plastic pollution" through music.

Upon learning that the theme of Bhutan’s Royal Highland Festival in 2023 was going to be climate resilience and highland sustainability, Lim had the idea to "bring the music from the icy expanses of the South Pole to the towering heights of the Himalayas".

Lim and her team then submitted a proposal to the organisers to have O’Sullivan perform Rhapsody Of A Changing Antarctic and collaborate with the children of Laya village on a Bhutanese song to "emphasise the need for climate resilience".

Lim said: "To our joyswerte gaming, our proposal was accepted, and Hillary was invited to perform and participate in the festival...Hillary also prepared a 20-minute piano recital just for the children as a gesture of thanks and appreciation."

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