MUSIC  

Sri Lankans at the Grammys

Charin Mendis (JEXTR GRIN) and Yathra Jayawardene (ZIA MOZ) will be doing Sri Lanka proud later this week, when they attend the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Invited to the All Star event scheduled for February 15 on the strength on their outstanding musical body of work, the duo will be joining the crème de la crème in the global music industry.

The Grammy Award, an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States that recognises outstanding achievement in the music industry, is the musical version of the Oscars, and the Emmy Awards.

The awards ceremony is watched by over 30 million viewers on TV alone and its virtual reach is far greater than any world event alongside the Oscars.

Charin Mendis, who has worked with many international artistes as a ghost producer, engineer and writer, received his first invitation back in 2012, making him the first Sri Lankan to be officially invited to the Grammys.

A multifaceted creative connoisseur and entrepreneur who is also an accomplished and highly qualified musician, Mendis is the co-founder of '5TRAWBERIFIELD5', a creative collective he operates with business partner and colleague Yathra Jayawardene. He recently re-launched his band 'THE BATTERII' and is set to release an album at the end of this year.

Yathra and Mendis go by the stage names ZIA MOZ and JEXTR GRIIN respectively. His collaboration album with Yathra, 'Popsycle' is also set to be released worldwide this June. The pre released first single of the album is achieving success internationally.

Mendis, on his fifth invite this year, will be attending the event with partner Yathra. "You would think it would be a little less exciting for me to attend the awards as I have done this a couple of times of before, but honestly it is still as exciting and nerve wrecking as the first time" he says.

A business woman, songwriter and a talented fashion designer, Yathra is the granddaughter of the late Swanee Jayawardene, pioneer of the Tie-dye and Batik industry in Sri Lanka, and is the first and only Sri Lankan female songwriter to be inducted as a member into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the USA. Her extensive work in the music industry is what has led her to be featured in five time Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer Devine Evans' book 'The Diary of a Song Writer', backed by several A-list artists such as Queen Latifah. The book follows stories of the struggle to break into the music industry as a woman and Yathra Jayawardene is the only Asian representative to be featured in the book.

"It's amazing" she says, "I'm thrilled to be involved with such an inspiring project."

Their itinerary for the Grammy Week includes attending Clive Davis' Pre-Grammy party, Yathra's book launch, the Annual Grammy Celebration, the Grammy Premier Telecast and Worldwide Telecast as well as the famous after parties. While there they hope to spread word about their new album 'Popsycle' and discuss future collaborations with prominent artists and producers.

This years' Grammy Awards is set to feature performances from the likes of Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Ellie Goulding, James Bay, Tori Kelly, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, The Weekend and many more.

Hiru Entertainment

Beethoven's Mass in C ...at St. Lucia's Cathedral

British maestro Gregory Rose will conduct Beethoven's transcendent Mass in C with the Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) and the Coro Populorum and Coro Sacrum at St. Lucia's Cathedral in Kotahena, Colombo 13, on Sunday, February 14 at 6.00 p.m. The Mass is presented by the Archdiocese of Colombo.

Beethoven wrote this work in 1807, at the request of Prince Nicolas Estherhazy, patron for many years of Joseph Haydn, who still remained alive but no longer composed. The work was first performed on 13 September 1807, at the castle of Eisenstadt, not far from Vienna. The composer, aged 37 and in full maturity, conducted his own work.

It appears the prince did not appreciate the work, judging it probably too "modern". He is supposed to have said: "But, Beethoven, what have you done here?" Nevertheless Beethoven was very satisfied, asserting "to have treated the text like it not previously been done".

When the work was edited, in November 1812, at Breitkopf & Härtel (of Leipzig), it was dedicated to Prince Kinsky.

This mass will have a classical orchestra, a quartet of vocal soloists, (Meneka Sahabandu, Peshali Yapa, Jaliya Senanayake and Laknath Seneviratne) a large mixed choir of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The performance held at St. Lucia's Cathedral in Kotahena, Colombo 13 will be a part of a Holy Mass with chief celebrant His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. The event is sponsored by Fairway Holdings. Entrance is free.

Rajan's 'Susara' in Kandy

'Susara 2016', the grand musical show, organised by the Eastern Music Unit of Dharmaraja College, will be held on February 12 (6.00 p.m.) the school auditorium. Slated to perform at the event are Uresha Ravihari, Sanka Dineth, and veteran singer Edward Jayakody.

'Susara' is a showcasing of musical talent from Kandy schools with students from Dharmaraja College taking centre stage.

This highlight of Susara 2016 will be the presentation of 'Susara Pragunya Prabhasana', to one of the music teachers of the Kandy Educational Zone.