Full day of music at Fete de La Musique

Alliance Francaise de Colombo, the Leading French Language and Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka since 1995, once again presents Fete de la Musique International Music Day 2013 on June 22 at their air conditioned auditorium at 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 7.

The response has been overwhelming and many musicians, amateurs/professionals will entertain you from morning till evening. Annesley Malewana and his band Super Chimes will back all the artistes.

The performances will include Pop, Jazz, Raggae, Folk, Country Music and Western, Calypso, Dancing Groups, School Bands and Baila sessions. It will be a meeting place of cultures and an opportunity to share the joy of listening and appreciating a variety of melodies sung in English, French and Sinhala.

Fete de la Musique – International Music Day which started off in 1982, saw amateur and professional musicians of France take to the streets on June 21 to celebrate the beginning of summer.

On this day, after a dismal spring the whole of France breaks into a gigantic celebration of music, song and dance. People head for the squares and parks and perform free for the benefit of onlookers and for their own pleasure.

In Sri Lanka, the event has grown in popularity among the young and the old and every year lots of people participate. People of all ages come for the event and enjoy a full day's music free of charge. Soft drinks and food will be available at reasonable rates.

Many popular musicians, Ronnie Leitch, Annesley Malewana, Judy de Silva, Dushyanth Weeraman, some well-known Sirasa Super Stars and many more will perform as guest artistes and keep you on your toes.

The ever popular Annesley Malewana will perform along with his band Super Chimes throughout the day belting out English and popular Sinhala Pops. Spend the day June 22 listening to your favourite musicians at Alliance Francaise De Colombo Auditorium from 10 a.m. onwards and enjoy a full day's music non stop, sing song and dance, free. There will be a special session of dancing late afternoon.

On Broadway at the Wendt

The Soul Sounds Academy (Junior School) will conduct their annual performance – On Broadway - on June 18 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.

The concert will feature favourites from Broadway musicals performed by children between the ages of three to 14.

The Soul Sounds Junior and Intermediate choirs form a larger part of Soul Sounds, Sri Lanka’s premier female ensemble. The concert, which aims to showcase the talents of young children, will also be targeted towards raising funds for charity. Part of the proceeds of the show will go towards the Love Changes Everything project for the children’s ward at the Cancer Hospital, Maharagama.

“The purpose of the Junior and Intermediate choirs is to train and foster Sri Lankan talent in not only nurturing the arts, but also providing practical experience in performance” said well-known pianist and musician Soundarie David Rodrigo, Director - Soul Sounds Academy. “What makes the concert special is that it takes on a variety of musicals, from familiar tunes such as Oklahoma and South Pacific, to Rock of Ages and Lion King.

The Junior School vocal groups consist of two age groups; youngsters in the under nine age group who will entertain you with songs from Mary Poppins, Little Mermaid and Oliver, and the older children who will enthral you with songs from Follies, Minnie’s Boys and more recent, yet popular melodies”, she said.

Punsanda Paya 7

A sizzling presentation of Punsanda Paya 7 will go on the brands at the Holy Emmanuel Parish Hall, Moratuwa on July 13 at 6.30 p.m. under the guidance of the well-known singer Lankika Perera of Golden Chimes and now the President of the Moratuwa Arts Forum (MAF).

The proceeds of the concert according to Lankika will go towards the promotion and uplift of amateur talent which is a prime need and also to provide welfare facilities for members of the MAF and their families.

“A galaxy of stars who will perform will include Nihal Nelson, Christopher Paul, Chandral Foseka of Kings fame, myself and Chanaka Perera of Golden Chimes, C.L. Fonseka, Somasiri Fernando, Sureshini Wanigasuriya and Estelle Gunasekera (ex X'periments) Dr. Manella Joseph (Winslow Six), Lincoln de Silva (Super Pink N Purple), Rukshan Perera, Nihal and Thilak (Niro), Lucky Deva, Merril Fernando, Lilanthi Jayaratna, Chandana Silva, Dinakshi Priyasad, Devashree de Silva, Surem Senarath, Tennison Cooray, Don Guy, Devshan and Michalle Perera.

“Musical backing will be by Spirit led by Lucky Deva. There will be dance acts as well and I'm proud to say it's going to be a not-to-be-missed concert ever held for a long time in Moratuwa” said Lankika.

MP