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| Sunday, 7 August 2005 |
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Spellbinding music
It's a fine combination of music that includes Hip Hop, R & B, Rock, Pop and lots more. But, if you thought Sri Lanka lacked youth with a knack for classical music, real talent would prove you wrong. by Umangi de Mel
Anusha Mihirini Alles (15) and Namali Ishana Fernando (22) hail from a musically inclined family. Born in North Carolina, US, Anusha studies at the R.L. Paschal High School in Texas. "My grand mother was a pianist. She's, how I got into piano music," says Anusha. Her father plays a few instruments by ear like the accordion, piano and guitar but her mother had been in the Symphony Orchestra back in Sri Lanka. "She's a violinist and now takes lesson in the US." Classical music is what appeals to her but she also likes to listen to the 'Beatles' and plays it by ear. Her teacher, Martha Appleby together with her husband Prof. David Appleby published a book of Latin American Music thus Anusha loves playing pieces like Villa Lobos. Namali, ex-Visakhian is more into Cello than any other instrument although she does piano music as well. "My parents got me to play the Cello originally that is at the age of seven. I used to play the recorder but at the moment it's just the Cello and piano," she says. She learnt piano under Vilma Varnakulasinghe, "And she gets her pupils to perform at her place. I started Cello with Avril Bartholomeuze and Tamara Holsinger but now I'm with Dushyanthi Perera. Namali has been performing back in school at musical evenings where she used to do solo performances. She had also been a member of the Visakha orchestra.
Anusha and Namali go down memory lane as they talk about how they first felt about music. "Well, when I was a kid, it was like a chore. My mom would yell at me if I didn't practise but now I really like it," says Anusha while Namali says that after she had to start Cello, her own interest developed and nobody had to push her. "But my family's always given the encouragement and support." Talking about how they got a break to play with the Symphony Orchestra, Namali says she wrote to the committee asking if she could play with them, "then they auditioned me which was quite tough. But I was really happy about getting selected at the end." Anusha says she recorded herself on CD with her accompanist and mailed it to the committee, "they called me and said I could play with them and it was so exciting", she says adding the fact that in the States, they've got piano competitions but young people don't get to play with an orchestra there. "This was like a life time opportunity for me." Going in two different directions, although very much musically talented, the two cousins have different tastes. I like to read Russian literature like Anna Karenina, Idiot, Chekov and gogo! I like Harry Potter as well." Although a very talented pianist, she doesn't want to make it a profession. "In the States, it's really competitive and hard to make a living out of music. If you want to become a musician, you've got to do it all your life and be among the best. But that's not what I want to do." She's got two more years to enter the university, and she's been thinking about Environmental Law since she has taken a good course this year, back in school. "It's interesting I've always wanted to do something like that and I've always wanted to be a teacher and teach English Literature as I love reading. It's my favourite subject". Nevertheless, Anusha says that it's equally difficult to become a teacher and make a living in the US. "So I'm still looking for things that interest me," she says. Namali, having somewhat different preferences, says she likes Classical Music and Jazz. "I like Rock as well and when it comes to playing I like light improvised stuff. But at the moment I'm mainly focusing on the Cello." She says she's into books and friends as well. "I watch movies too," she says and adds, "but career wise, I haven't decided yet. I completed a diploma in Journalism and Communication at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. I do a lot of creative writing as a hobby but I don't want journalism as a career." Namali looks forward to doing a bit of travelling, "And when I get back, I might continue my music and I'm also thinking of taking writing more seriously," she says. Namali believes that at times, the musical verve is lacking in Sri Lanka. "There should be more support to other musicians, so that they shine as well. However, I feel I have a lot of support from musicians and I want to do something in the music arena in Sri Lanka." |
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