Chamber music plus series

The Chamber Music Society of Colombo in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, Sri Lanka, will present the second concert of the Chamber Music Plus series on May 26 at the Hall of the Goethe-Institute.

The series has the potential of opening up new and experimental avenues of expressive content, when each concert will showcase the diverse symbiotic reactions between live chamber music and its impact on the poet, dramatist, filmmaker, artist and dancer.

Malinee Jayasinghe-Peris

The presentation will feature projections of the work of the acclaimed artist Muhanned Cader (entitled "Drawing Ocean", 2011) and a Sri Lankan musical legend, Malinee Jayasinghe-Peris on piano playing Mahler's Piano Quartet with CMSC principals including concertmaster, Lakshman Joseph de Saram.

The Mozart: Divertimento no. 3 in B flat major, "K439bÓ/K.Anh.229 no.3, performed by a string trio will preface the Mahler. Ms. Jayasinghe-Peris will give a solo recital in the second half. The recital will tentatively consist of Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp major, op. 60, Debussy's Poissons D'or ("Goldfish" from Book 2) and Reflet dans l'eau ("Reflections on the water" from Book 1) of his Images, Ravel's Ondine ("The Water Sprite") from his Gaspard de la Nuit, and Liszt's Legende S. 175 no. 2, "St François de Paule marchant sur les flots" (St. Francis of Paola walking on the waves)

Ms. Jayasinghe-Peris is a one of the true pioneers of western classical music in South East Asia. An Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and coordinator for Keyboard Studies at Georg Washington University, a board member of the 'Godowsky Institute of Music' in addition to teaching piano, she also coaches Chamber Ensembles. Professor Peris began her formal music training at the age of 4 and gave her first solo public recital at the age of 12. She studied at the Royal College of Music, London, as an Associated Board Scholar. The musician who had the most influence on her performance and musical education was Hungarian born virtuoso Louis Kentner, who was her teacher and mentor for over 20 years.

During her extensive career she has given recitals worldwide in major venues that included London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Mexico City, Montreal, Cologne, Singapore; cities in China and India; played in many European Music Festivals as well as the Prague Spring Festival. She has performed with orchestras throughout Europe, Israel, Australia and the United States including performances at New York's Lincoln Center and in Washington DC. Professor Peris was featured as soloist at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York at a concert to mark the 22nd anniversary of Human Rights Day.

She has given a series of lectures for Independent TV in Britain titled "Music as an International Language," performed frequently for the BBC and for Belgian Radio Three. She holds the title of "Kala Keerthi," Sri Lanka's highest honor for the Arts and a lifetime achievement award from the Sri Lanka Foundation of America.

Prof. Peris's recent recordings include Ravel and Debussy (2002), From Portugal to Brazil (2003), From Spain to Mexico (2005), and A Child's Garland of Music (2007).

Her most recent recording in aid of Breast Cancer, My Journey From Darkness to Light with Chopin has been released in October 2010 by Amico Artists and Campaign Digital Inc. Prof. Peris has been a reviewer for the Washington Post and is currently on the board of Dumbarton Concerts in Washington DC and its outreach program Inner City-Inner Child.

Artist Muhanned Cader began his interest in art as a young student in his home city Colombo, Sri Lanka. From there, he went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA where he earned his BA in 1994.

Muhanned has exhibited widely. His important group shows include the First Singapore Art Biennale (Belief) 2006 Singapore, Drawn from Life: Drawing Form, Drawn from Life: Drawing Process, and Drawn from Life: Drawing Space at the Green Cardamom Gallery, London 2008-9. Muhanned has also worked on a collaborative Raking Leaves publication titled The One Year Drawing Project that was first launched at Art Dubai 2008 and then at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

The original art works since have been exhibited at SAVAC and the University of Toronto Arts Centre, the Devi Foundation in Delhi and at the Art Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT), Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 2009.

Presently Muhanned lives and works between Oxford, UK and Colombo, Sri Lanka.