SOSL to present Young Soloist's Concert

by Mahes Perera

This year's Young Soloist's Concert presented by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) will bring into focus pianist Louis Perera, who will perform the celebrated Mozart's Concerto in C Minor considered to be one of the finest concerti for piano and orchestra ever written. The concert will be staged at the Navarangala (Royal College) on July 31 at 7.30 p.m. At the conductor's podium will be Dushy Perera who is fast gaining a name for herself as a conductor who has the capacity to keep the members of the orchestra alert and give their best in performance.

Pianist Louis Perera

Apart from Mozart's Concerto in C Minor the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka in its program for the evening will perform Dvorak's New World Symphony and Moszkowski's Spanish Dances. Louis Perera, a music examiner at the Institute of Music Speech and Speaking Skills, will give his debut Piano Recital in the near future and we understand is applying to music schools, where he could further his studies in music. The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka should be applauded for fostering young talent which is vital in our classical music scene.

Louis leaning to music was ignited when he turned four. He learnt to play the piano when he was six under the tutelage of Inoka Perera and later took to serious study of music in 2004 under the guidance of Sheryl Perera.

A frequent gold medalist at the Sri Lanka Festival, Dance and Speech affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech and to his credit he was recognised as the second runner-up in his category at the Young Musician of the Year 2006.

An annual prize-winning performer at the examinations conducted by Trinity College, London he has won Special Exhibition Prizes and the Silver Medal for Music.

He holds an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Institute of Western Music and Speech, Sri Lanka and also a Diploma in Piano Performance from the London College of Music.

At present Louis Perera is a Piano and Violin student of the acknowledged musician Eshantha Peiris and is working with him to obtain a Diploma in Piano Performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of music.

He made his debut as a conductor last year when he conducted the Junior Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. In his musical career Louis Perera guides students at Music Matters in innovative music-making and creative music education.

The performance of Mozart's Concerto in C Minor by Louis Perera will be worth listening to since Mozart wrote very few works in minor keys and these few works are exceptional in musical intensity and have never failed to make an impression on the average listener.