Cultural Diary

"Balloth Ekka Be" at Negombo

Two special shows of the hilarious comedy "Balloth Ekka Be", written and directed by Ravindra Ariyarathna, will be staged at the Negombo Rukmanidevi Memorial Theatre on December 12 at 3.30 and 6.45 p.m.

The cast include Wijaya Nandasiri, Roshan Pilapitiya, Gihan Fernando, Saman Hemarathna (Leelasena), Kumara Thirimadura and Luvolin Vandervol. With music of Shantha Peiris, stage set designed by Luvolin Vandervol, and stage management of Asoka de Zoysa and Shantha Udaya Kumara, the drama will entertain the viewer. The costume design by Gihan Fernando, make up by Saman Hemarathna.

"Eka Adhipathi" comes to Elphinstone Theatre

The award winning stage play "Eka Adhipathi", written and directed by Dharmasiri Bandaranayake will be staged at the Elphinstone Theatre on December 9 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The cast include Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Rajiv Ponweera, Swethekei Munasinghe, Dayadeva Edirisinghe, Lal Peiris, Leonard Cooray, Upul Nishantha, Sampath Tennakoon, Chamila Peiris, Gamini Wijesinghe, Chulla Jayawardhana, Lalith Rajapakse, Wathsala Ranasinghe, Jagath Muthukumarana, Saman Pushpaliyanage, Himasal Liyanage, Sudesh Wickramarathne, Sarath P. Alawwa, Thusahari Chamila Gunarathne, Oshadhi Gunasekera, Rohan de Silva, Asiri Priyanga, Arunodh Wijesinghe, Niluka Dilrukshi Rajamanthri, Manoj Peiris, Tennis Miller and Amil Deepal Galanga.

Exhibition of paintings and installations

Dileepa Jeewantha will hold an exhibition of paintings and installations at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo 7 from December 9 - 10. The exhibition will be opened on December 8 at 5 p.m. The Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Christmas glow on December 10

Mrs. Hilda Herat and her team will hold an exhibition of hand crafted jewellery, at the Girl Guides headquarters hall, Colombo 7 on December 10 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Concertaid IX - Virga Jesse Floruit in Colombo and Kandy

The concert organised by famed Peradeniya Singers will be held on December 15 and 19 in Colombo and Kandy.

The concert, Concertaid IX' Virga Jesse Floruit, will present works by Handel, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saens, John Rutter, and Bruckner, Andrea Klause, Ken Burton and many others. All proceeds will go to the disabled soldiers.

Peradeniya Singers has been committed to the art of choral singing for 56 years, giving a regular two concerts a year, besides other performances in participation on various special occasions. This year it gave a concert in July and is now preparing a concert for December which includes several pieces appropriate to the season.

The group began life as The University Singers founded by Robin Mayhead at the University of Ceylon at Peradeniya in 1953. Mayhead came to the university's Department of English from Downing College, Cambridge, where he had directed a choral group. He was devoted to a capella performance, a skill he nurtured in us painlessly. Fascinated by the music of the early Renaissance he gave us an enduring taste for the polyphony of Palestrina, Vittoria, Manduit, Byrd, et al, taking us into musical experiences ranging from the plangent solemnity of Vittoria's O Vos Omnes to the light-hearted El Grillo in praise of the chirping of the cricket.

The original group faded out after his departure. The present director Bridget Halpe, returning from studying music at the University of

Bristol, took over the choir. Drawing on her training and experience in Bristol's Department of Music and as a member of the University of Bristol Choir, the select Thirty-two Choir and the Paragon Singers, she revived the University Singers.

The group meets regularly and presents several programmes mainly for charities. It includes several non-university people, including working people and many expatriates, and so the choir continues under the new name The Peradeniya Singers. The group's membership varies and fluctuates considerably.

Besides its own annual concerts The Peradeniya Singers has presented or participated in several special programmes, notably the concert in celebration of the Bach/Handel tricentennial (1985), the bicentennial of the French Republic (1989), the fiftieth anniversaries of university education in Sri Lanka and of the move of the university to Peradeniya (2002), the ceremonial re-opening of the rebuilt Central Bank building (2001) several concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, performing in Haydn's Creation and Verdi's Requiem to mention a few.

It participated in the recordings of three important and innovative Sri Lankan works: Devar Surya Sena's Sri Lankan setting of the Eucharistic Celebration, Lalanath de Silva's Requiem Orbis Terrarum and Pradeep Ratnayake's Indrakeelaya.