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| Sunday, 11 December 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Fashion Designer of the Year 2005 : One more week to go by Aditha Dissanayake
With only a week to go for one of the most looked-forward to events on the calendar, the Fashion Designer of the Year 2005, make sure you mark an entry in your diary for December 19 to be at the BMICH, when Chula Nanayakkara Ariyaratne revives the fashion event she held in 1984 with the collaboration of the Sunday Observer and the Daily News. Speaking with the Sunday Observer, yet another of the semi-finalists vying for the Fashion Designer of the Year title, twenty-two-year-old Eranga Lakmali Bandaranayake who is on a trip to Thailand at the moment, said she will be back in time for the contest on December 19. A second year student at the Department of Architecture of the University of Moratuwa Eranga is studying designing, not only in clothes but in jewellery, furniture, graphics and even in the field of ceramics! She is happy to take part in the Fashion Designer of the Year contest as she believes this is an opportunity to broaden her horizons as a fashion designer. She is grateful to her teachers and her family, especially her mother, for the encouragement they have given her. Dinesh Perera, another semi-finalist, says he intends to present an "edgy-Glam/gothic feel through his designs at the show under a thematic concept". Talking of his future plans he explains that he has no intention of designing clothes for all types of women but would like to focus on a selected group - 16 to 40 years - and only if they have "plenty of attitude and a rebellious spirit". He admits not everybody will wear his designs but is not bothered because they are not mere designs but statements. Having so far been involved in banking, and currently working as a creative writer in English at Bates Asia Strategic Alliance, Dinesh says he wishes to make a career in fashion designing and to study the subject in depth, in the future. Heynelle Mendis too believes being selected as a semi-finalist is something wonderful and that she is looking forward to the finals on the 19th. Having already obtained a diploma from the Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology, she is currently following an advanced course in fashion designing. Fashion Designer of the Year 2005, will be held on December 19 at the main auditorium of the BMICH, sponsored by Singer (Sri Lanka) and covered by Sirasa TV. Tickets are available at Singer Mega showrooms at Duplication Road, Nugegoda, Rajagiriya, Mt. Lavinia, Wattala and at Ramzi's at 65/7 A, D.S Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 8 (Tel:2698932) Latino at the Mix by Mahee Perera
A quick spool back to the earlier times when the band returned home regularly, reveals how eagerly their fans and their fan club awaited their arrival. Friends were the one band that always introduced the reigning top 40 European hits to the Sri Lanka music scene each time they came back home. Remember Winds of Change by the group Scorpion. - Friends made it into a hot hit over here then. "It's a different scene today" says a smiling Nihar, looking as youthful as ever. "In Europe, especially in Switzerland its the Latino sounds and that's very exciting. There's the bachata, the reggaeton, the salsa, the rumba, the samba, the meringue that keeps the groovers on the floor-its a rage now and the boys enjoy the sessions immensely. Most of the time in Switzerland and Germany the music is sixty per cent commercial - top 40 material. Here we will be loading our repetoire with the Latino sounds" concludes Nihar. So there you are, if you are a latin freak make your tracks to the Mix or if your current favourites are 'Open Road',' Have a Nice Day', 'Coming Back Home' and 'Bad Day' then Ushan Gunasekara and Marlon Amarasekara will surely entice you with their renditons of these songs. Keeping a slick and tight over all sound is the leader, drummer Nihar Hamid with Ushan Gunasekara - bass/vocals, Gaby the female glitz who sings, switches to percussion and keyboards when necessary. Giving that Latin thrust to the band is Dileepa Mangala a multi -istrumentalist playing keyboards, sax, percussion and joins in on vocals, and finally Marlon Amerasekara on guitar/percussion and vocals. Friends are on a limited engagement, so soak in their vibes starting this Thursday at the Mix. Sinhala Karaoke DVD launched in Melbourne by Mangala Munasinghe
For the first time a group of Sri Lankan art enthusiasts resident in Australia have created and produced a Sinhala Karaoke DVD for the listening pleasure of Sinhala music fans and art lovers of that country. The DVD which was launched at a ceremony at the Deakin University (Burnwood Campus) lecture Theatre 1 recently became an instant hit among fans in Australia. Nayomi Kannangara who handled the script writing for the DVD said it was the result of a joint effort with Sri Lal Katunayake and Nuwan Samarapathy. The DVD has given exposure to the many musically talented Sri Lankans now domiciled in Melbourne. Nayomi Kannangara said that almost one year was spent to complete the DVD since their intention was to offer a high quality Sinhala Karaoke to the music fans. She thanked all others who contributed towards the success of their maiden endeavour, including those who volunteered to take part in dance sequences. All proceeds from the DVD will be channelled towards the construction work of the new children's ward at the Maharagama Cancer Institute. An evening at the Opera
Barbara Segal no stranger to our classical music stages will give a recital of operatic arias accompanied on the piano by Menaka de Fonseka Sahabandu and the Menaka Singers. This recital by the British soprano will be at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Saturday, December 17 and in her program Barbara Segal will sing works by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Bellini and Offenbach among others. The guest artiste at the concert is the cellist, Dushy Perera. The proceeds from this recital will go towards the tsunami rehabilitation project which is spearheaded and supervised by Barbara Segal who has been in Sri Lanka since the tsunami devastation. Ms. Segal who currently is the Head of Overseas Operations for the 'Opera and Concert Productions Worldwide' is responsible each year to arrange and place sponsorship for an opera tour to fourteen different countries as a cultural exchange. She is also a consultant for voice and repertoire to the 'European Chamber Opera'. Ever since her operatic debut in the role of Musetta in La Boheme at the Santa Magherita Ligure Opera Festival, Barbara Segal has won critical acclaim for the diverse roles she has performed including Queen of the Night in the Magic Flute, Violetta in La Traviata, the controversial Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor and Marguerite in Faust. In recent years she has toured widely and performed and produced operas here in Sri Lanka including La Boheme, Barber of Seville, La Traviata and a performance with The Lanka Philharmonic Orchestra. Musically elegant Back in the land of her roots and overjoyed to perform here is pianist keyboardist, Helen Lucas who with her husband Ron vocalist / percussionist will be featured at the Mount Lavinia Hotel for the entire festive season.
They will commence their gigs on Tuesday December 20 and will be a star attraction for New Year's Eve as well. Helen Lucas a famous band leader in Sri Lanka in the early years headlined her highly successful dance band the Helen Lucas Combo and held centre- stage for many years before she and Ron decided to move over to Australia. Daughter of the famous Papa Menezes whose name was synonymous with music in Sri Lanka, she was and still is deeply invovlved in teaching music and a constant friend to other musicians-young and old. What is her major plus in her music artistry is her elegance and sophistication in expression be it Pop, Latin or Jazz and that is hard to beat. Ron an exciting vocalist and percussionist sings a wide repetoire of Michael Buble the current rage, Frank Sinatra's songs as well as songs by the time honoured greats like Elvis Presley and Nat King Cole. Now performing at some of the leading hotels in Sydney, Ron and Helen's music has taken them overseas for performances in Germany, England, Malaysia, Goa and recently a successful tour of Los Angeles, Chicago and Vancouver. Catch their gig at Mount Lavinia Hotel, you are bound to make returns. - (MP)
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| Produced by Lake House |
Step in to the Mix this Thursday and you will be greeted by the Latino
sounds of Nihar Hamid and his band Friends, who are back home to add spice
to the annual festive season. Friends will be in action not only on
Thursdays, but on Fridays and Saturdays as well at the Mix, Taj Samudra and
are all geared to help you greet 2006 on New Year's Eve. This time they will
rock the rooftop Ballroom with their fascinating and exciting sounds. 
