Norwegian Opera comes to Sri Lanka!
A series of concerts for classical music lovers called ‘Classical
Evergreens:a journey through opera’ will be presented by the Sewalanka
Foundation together with Concerts Norway, Aru Sri Art Theatre and the
Norwegian Embassy.
The concert features three internationally acclaimed Norweigian Opera
Singers, Rita Heigre (Soprano), Nils Harald Sødal (Tenor), Anna
Einarsson (Mezzo-soprano) and one of the finest Pianists James Duddle.
They will perform at the Engineering Faculty Theatre (E.O.E. Pereira
Theatre), Kandy today at 6.30pm. They will also perform concerts and
workshops for children and the youth in Colombo at the Ladies College
Auditorium, Musaeus College Auditorium, Visakha Vidyalaya Auditorium, in
Negombo at Newstead Girl’s School Auditorium, in Kandy at Trinity
College Hall and in Galle at Siri Dhamma College Hall, Sangamittha
College Auditorium, Mahinda College Auditorium and Richmond College
Auditorium.
The entrance for all these concerts will be free of charge. They will
also hold a five day master class for the students of University of
Visual and Performing Arts which will conclude with a joint performance
by the artistes and students on June 22 at 10am at the Lionel Silva
Memorial Hall. The workshops are free of charge and those interested can
register by mailing to [email protected].
 Mezzosoprano Anna Einarsson
Anna was educated at The Academy of Music in Malmö and at the Oslo
National Academy of the Arts. She made her debut at the Norwegian
National Opera with the role of Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos. Later, she
performed as Carmen in Carmen, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Prins Orlovsky in
the Bat, Clotilde in Norma, Third Lady in The Magic Flute, Flosshilde in
das Rheingold, Rossweise in die Valküre, Anitra in Peer Gynt og Azucena
in Verdis Trubaduren.
Pianist James Duddle
James Duddle was born in Norwich, England in 1980. As a boy, he sang
in the Norwich Cathedral Choir and received Piano and Organ tuition. He
continued his studies at the Royal College of Music, London, with
Professors John Barstow (Piano) and Margaret Phillips (Organ). For his
postgraduate studies at the RCM, he took the Orchestral Conducting
Diploma with Professor Neil Thomson, receiving a Distinction for his
final exam. Today he is a zealous pianist.
Tenor Nils Harald Sødal
 Nils Harald Sødal got his education from The Norwegian Academy of
Music and the University of Oslo. He has had several grand roles at the
Norwegian National Opera,among those Camille de Rossilon in The Merry
Widow (Franz Lehár), Pilatus in Barrabas (Hvoslef), Alfredo in La
Traviata (Verdi), Alfred in The Bat ( J. Strauss), Apollo in Orfeo
(Monteverdi) and Don José in Carmen (Bizet). He is internationally
acclaimed (Opernwelt / Germany, Opera/ Sweden) for his interpretation of
the title role in Alfred Herring. He has worked a lot within the
contemporary opera genre and has been granted a scholarship from the
Norwegian state to work with new music. In this connection, he has
worked closely with several of Norway´s foremost composers and created
material for new recordings and concerts. |
