Singapore teen performs piano piece for Bhutan's king who 'broke protocol and gave her a big hug' after

SINGAPORE - Hillary O'Sullivan, 13, is living a life less ordinary. 

The Singaporean was invited to perform at Bhutan's Royal Highland Festival, which ran from Oct 23 to 24, 2023.

Hillary was then 12 and a student at St Joseph's Institution International (SJII). She was the first foreigner and youngest performer to be invited to participate in the South Asian country's national cultural festival since its inception in 2016. She played the piano for Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at the event.

Her Bhutan adventure was documented in the short film The Girl And Her Piano, which premiered at a private screening in Singapore on Oct 8.

The 11-minute film, directed and produced by Hillary's mother Elaine Lim, highlights the urgent environmental issues in the Himalayan region, with a focus on the threat to Bhutan's glaciers.

Told through the eyes of the Bhutanese people and narrated by Hillary, it was self-funded, said Ms Lim, 50, creative director of local photography studio White Room Studio. There are plans for the documentary to be streamed online, added the first-time film-maker.

The journey to the festival, held in the remote village of Laya, which is 4,000m above sea level, was arduous. It included a four-hour hike up the mountains.

Hillary, accompanied by Ms Lim and three Bhutanese film crew members, also had to battle strong winds and cold weather, which varied from 5 deg C to minus 6 deg C. 

"We slept in tents, and it was so cold at night," Hillary told The Straits Times, recalling how her fingers were frozen, making it hard to play her instrument.

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"I was out of my comfort zone. I'm also not very fit, so the hike up the mountains was challenging."

The Grade 7 SJII student added that the high altitude made breathing difficult, which added to her exhaustion.

During the two-day festival, she was also the accompanist for a Bhutanese children's choir. But the highlight of the trip was meeting King Jigme Khesar, 44.

"We were briefed on the proper etiquette when we were in his presence. I was to take three steps backwards and bow after my performance," said Hillary, who recently completed her Grade 8 ABRSM piano examination. 

To her surprise, after playing the piece Rhapsody Of A Changing Antarctic, she said King Jigme Khesar broke protocol, walked up to Hillary and gave her a big hug. 

"I was so shocked and did not know what to do," she said, laughing. "I got to see him up close and took a photo with him."

Rhapsody Of A Changing Antarctic, reflecting the dire global climate situation, was composed by Belgian musician Eric Bettens for the Antarctic Climate Expedition, which took place from Feb 13 to 23, 2023.

Hillary was one of 12 Singaporeans among 120 people from around the world participating in the voyage. She was specially selected to perform the piece on the expedition organised by the Ocean Geographic Society to find ways to mitigate climate change. 

She was also the youngest among the climate ambassadors, who included marine enthusiasts, scientists, wildlife photographers and doctors, to make the 10-day journey to Antarctica. There, she witnessed melting glaciers, experienced warm temperatures and spotted algae and grass growing - all signs of climate change.

Hillary, who started learning the piano at three years old, has won several awards, including the Silver Award at the Singapore Raffles International Music Festival Piano Competition in 2021.

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Videos of her recitals in Indonesia in 2019 and the Maldives in 2020 on her YouTube channel caught the attention of the organiser of the Antarctic expedition. And it was her performance in the South Pole that got Hillary the invitation to Bhutan.

"Before Bhutan and Antarctica, I did not know much about climate change," said Hillary, whose Ireland-born Singaporean father Declan O'Sullivan, 59, is the chief executive of executive search firm Kerry Consulting. Her elder twin sisters are 15. 

"During the trips, I got to see in person the real and serious problems caused by climate change, like the rising sea levels."

She added that people need to know more about global warming and "change how we live our lives, as a person and collectively as a community".

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.