MUSIC
Heart-warming treat from:
Gehan Cooray
Music lovers are in for a heart-warming treat when renowned baritone
Gehan Cooray performs alongside some of Sri Lanka's most accomplished
singers and musicians, in 'Music of the Heart' on January 13, 2016.
Gehan who specialises in Bel Canto Opera, will be performing
alongside Menaka De Fonseka Sahabandu, Soundarie David Rodrigo, Surekha
Amerasinghe, and Dhanushka Seneviratne in what promises to be a
memorable evening of music from the pasting featuring popular genres
ranging from Opera to Broadway, Artsong and Films. 'Music of the Heart'
will be held at the Bishop's College Auditorium at 7.30 p.m. onwards.
An
alumnus of the prestigious University of Southern California, Gehan
possesses a Bachelor's degree in Theatre, Drama and Psychology.
Presently residing in Los Angeles, Gehan has produced and acted in short
films, which have been screened at the Los Angeles Film and Script
Festival, the New Media Film Festival, the Action On Film Festival, the
Palm Springs International Film Festival and Film Market to name a few.
A product of St Joseph's College, Colombo, he trained under the
tutelage of Menaka de Fonseka Sahabandu, who first introduced him to the
exhilarating world of Opera.
In collaboration with her, Gehan directed and performed in a series
of operas; playing Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and heroic
Figaro in The Barber of Seville.
Gehan has also made his mark in Broadway musical productions and
plays both in Sri Lanka and Los Angeles, performing as Professor
Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and
Bernard Nightingale in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.
He recently starred in a one man show titled Practically Perfect in
LA that featured a series of well-known Broadway songs.
His repertoire encompasses diverse genres such as, opera, classical
music, sacred music, musical theatre, pop, light rock and jazz.
He sings in Italian, French, German, Latin, English and Sinhalese.
The special line up of guest artistes at the event include Samali
Liyanage, Niran De Mel and the Menaka Singers together with celebrated
musicians Soundarie David Rodrigo on piano, Surekha Amerasinghe on
flute, Dhanushka Seneviratne on the key board and Menaka De Fonseka
Sahabandu.
'Music of the Heart' will feature the performance of arias from
Rossini's The Barber of Seville, a duet from the Mozart opera Don
Giovanni, La Serenata by Tosti, popular Broadway songs On the street
where you live, I could've danced all night (My Fair Lady), Don't tell
mama (Cabaret), I want the good times back (The Little Mermaid) Smoke
gets in your eyes (Roberta).
From films, timeless songs such as Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz),
New York, New York (New York, New York), I say a little prayer for you,
I can't help falling in love and who's sorry now will also be performed.
The evening is set to be a musical extravaganza that celebrates
heart-warming music from the past and promises to be spellbinding from
beginning to curtain call.
Proceeds of the Music of the Heart event will go towards the Ostomy
Association of Sri Lanka that works tirelessly towards addressing the
issues faced by ostomates, or patients who are required to have a stoma,
which can be attached to an external (Ostomy) bag that collects bodily
waste.
Currently over 2,000 ostomates live in Sri Lanka, comprising wounded
soldiers, cancer survivors and those who have faced motor accidents.
The Ostomy Association of Sri Lanka's mandate is to relieve the
burden of ostomates in the country by providing this vital procedure
allowing them to lead normal, happy and healthy lives.
Box plan and tickets are available at the Bishop's College Auditorium
office. For further information, please contact Nadiya De Lanerolle on
9411 - 2372080,
E-mail:[email protected] |