Randooga Music workshops and concerts in Colombo and Jaffna

Randooga Music workshops and concerts
 in Colombo and Jaffna

60th Anniversary of Japan-Sri Lanka

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Sri Lanka, the Embassy of Japan together with the Japan Foundation will present a series of Randooga workshops and concerts in Colombo and Jaffna bringing together Japanese and Sri Lankan musicians to celebrate 60 years of friendship between the two countries. 

This is the music part of the Japan Foundation’s “Culture for Harmony and Peace” Project in Sri Lanka, planned and led by Professor Yoshiko Ashiwa of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation, Hitotsubashi University, Japan. 

The Randooga Workshop features Japanese master of jazz piano, and founder of the Randooga Method, Masahiko Satoh, and renowned Sri Lankan Sitarist Pradeep Ratnayake in a unique joint musical performance that is also spontaneous and improvised. Kei Wada (percussionist), Akiko Uesugi (singer), Isaac Smith (bassist), Peshala Manoj (tabla) and others will join the duo in Colombo and Jaffna.

The Randooga workshops will introduce the method created by Masahiko Satoh to use improvisation as the way of nonverbal communication to enhance dialogue and understanding with oneself and between people.  Randooga can be enjoyed by both individuals and groups of people, from those who have never touched a musical instrument to outstanding musicians.  It is based on one of jazz’s most important aspects - improvisation. Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, or playing musical instruments immersed in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns not only in one but many different directions and dimensions.

The Colombo workshop will be held on the 26th of November 2012 at the Punchi Theater, Borella at 2 p.m.  The Jaffna workshops will be held on the 28th and 29th of November in collaboration with Professor Shanmugalingam and Dr. K. Sidambaranadan  and it will culminate in a concert at Jaffna Heritage Hotel on the 29th of November at 4 p.m. which will feature the workshop participants as well as the well-known musicians.

The concert in Colombo will be held on the 2nd of December 2012, at the Lionel Wendt Theater at 7 p.m. and will feature another aspect of Randooga, where highly trained musicians communicate with each other through sound.  Featuring pianist Masahiko Satoh and sitarist Pradeep Ratnayake and accompanied by Kei Wada, Akiko Uesugi,  Peshala Manoj and others, this concert is free to music lovers who can collect their free passes from the Lionel Wendt from the 24th of November 2012.

The Embassy of Japan considers these workshops and concerts in Colombo and Jaffna as part of Japan’s support towards the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to promote national reconciliation and harmony and also a true expression of the warm friendly relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.
The Governor of Sri Lanka's Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal will present a Commemorative Coin to mark the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka - Japan relations to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa today at the Temple Trees.

Hikka fest Sri Lanka 2013

Hikka Fest Sri Lanka

Hikka fest  2013...

A fun-filled fiesta for adults, kids, and grandparents alike! The world famous southern coastal town of Hikkaduwa, is all agog with preparations, to hold Hikkaduwa Beach Festival (better known as the Hikka fest) in 2013 too.

The sun-kissed beaches of Hikkaduwa will vibrate to the pulsating rhythms of DJs, dancers, and musicians in July, dates are TBA. The event will cater to both local and foreign visitors as well as to persons of all age groups – a family outing – a break from the monotony. There will be something for everyone from sand-castle building, movie night to a jazz festival.

Choro Calibre "ROAD TO VICTORY" Live in Concert Colombo,Sri Lanka

Choro Calibre has enjoyed tremendous success...

Here's some good news for music fans , Choro Calibre "Road To Victory" concert at the HILTON COLOMBO GRAND BALLROOM ,11th September 2012 ,7.00 PM Onwards...
Choro Calibre Sri Lanka Youth Choir is a renowned choir consisting a group of highly talented male and female vocalists nurtured from leading school choirs in Sri Lanka.They have been singing under the leadership of shaml de silva,have certainly made Sri Lanka proud by competing with more than 20 choral groups around the world and winning a silver and two bronze diplomas on the folk and chamber categories at the “ASIA CANTATE” International choir festival,which concluded in Thailand in july 2012.

Shaml-de-silva

The concert at the Hilton Colombo Performance by Choro Calibre together with songs by guest performers over the past few years ,Choro Calibre has enjoyed tremendous success.they released their maiden Christmas choral album “Feliz Naviad” under Sri Lankan popular label which was a huge success in the year 2010.their Original song music videos “Ape Namaya Sri Lanka” for Cricket World cup 2011 and the choral charity concert “HOPE for a child” in September 2011 were highly acclaimed by the audiences.The architect of “Choro Calibre Choir” is Shamal De Silva who handles all music arrangements bringing together soprano,alto,tenor and bass voices of young membes who creates majestic harmonies. Choro Calibre will keep any audience entertained by their glamorous creative performance and music presentation.With their recent international success “Choro Calibre” is set for more international performance and concerts

Choro Calibre ASIA CANTATE

Swara-prasangaya-on-7th-september at Maharagama Youth Centre,Sri Lanka

Swara-prasangaya Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan slow music lovers...

In the westernized world of 21st century we are living today, there is no time and space for the slow music but the Rock Music has taken its place. “SWARA” is a new introduction as well as a great musical experiment which matches to the heart beats of Sri Lankan slow music lovers. This show has been planned to reduce the gap between the singers and the audience by incorporating friendly conversing style to conduct the program making it unique among other musical programs.

Dr. Victor Rathnayake, Visharada Sunil Edirisinghe and Dr. Rohana Weerasinghe are the distinguished artists of the event which are known as Giants in the Sri Lankan classical music industry.Which is organized by students of Faculty and Management and Finance University of Colombo.

Sri Lankan Beauty Jacqueline to act in her mentor's directorial debut

miss sri lanka jacqueline fernandez 

Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez, for his directorial debut. 

Acting guru Vinod Tharani, who has coached the likes of Deepika Padukone and Amy Jackson, wants to cast his student, SriLankan beauty JacquelineFernandez, for his directorial debut. 

"I know Jacqueline very well. I know her since the time she came to Bombay. My script has a possibility of such a character. I know about her talent and capabilities and have decided to cast her," he told. 

"My script will be complete in a week's time. I have discussed with her earlier and she said she would love to do my film," he added. 

Elaborating on his script, he said it is a fun family drama.

miss sri lanka jacqueline fernandez 2006

 sri lanka beauty jacqueline fernandez 

--> "It is a comedy basically. It's a feel good film like Ferrari Ki Sawaari. It's about a guy and a girl and five dogs. I can't reveal any more details about it as of now," said Tharani, who has coached many stars. 

A graduate in microbiology, he himself trained with eminent theatre personalities like Satya Dev Dubey, Habeeb Tanveer, Bansi Kaul and Alok Chatterjee. He worked with them in Bhopal, Delhi and Mumbai. 

"I used to take acting workshops when casting directors approached me to train actors. Then directors approached me, then talent management companies approached me....and it goes on. I don't remember my first student's name, but first one to become a star was Deepika," he said. 

"I guide them on how to act, how to present themselves in the industry. They don't know a lot of thing about the industry, which I do since I have been here for the last 15 years," he said. 

Sometimes coaching continues during shooting. 

"Once the cast of a film is decided, I am told about the role and I start training. Sometimes directors want me to be there even during shoots," explained the 35-year-old who runs Midas Touch Acting And Dance Studio (MADS) in Mumbai. 

But getting coached by Tharani is not an easy task. Before training an actor, "I interview him. I get to know why they want to enter acting." 

From their mental strength to common sense, he assesses everything. 

"If I feel they are dedicated and are loyal to the craft, I take them on. I assess their mental strength also because they have to face rejections in the industry," he said. 

"There are lots of modelling agencies who introduce me to their models. At the end of the day, all models want to become actors. But there is a common sense which is required for acting and only if they have that, I groom them." 

"Passion is also very important. I can't train people just because of their hobbies. You can't lose interest in the middle," he added. 
Talking about his training, he said, "I cover all aspects every day and cover all detailing. After my training, you get to know if you are cut out for acting or not."

ICC World T20 Sri Lanka 2012 Official event song launched

B&S ICC T20 World Cup 2012

Good news for Cricket fans...ICC World T20 Sri Lanka 2012 Official event song launched...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) in collaboration with Bathiya and Santhush launched the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 official event song ‘Vissai Vissa’ (Twenty Twenty).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has selected Sri Lankanmusic superstars Bathiya and Santhush (B&S) to create the official event song for the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 which will run from September 18 to October 7.
The official event song of the ICC WT20 SL 2012 captures the spirit and energy of Sri Lanka and the Twenty20 format of the game. The song ‘Vissai Vissa’ in essence means ‘Twenty Times More’.

Sri Lankan fans are invited by Bathiya and Santhush to join the music video by filming themselves singing the official song. Videos can be shot using mobile phone cameras or handy cams and uploaded online to a special website

Fans can sing the event song solo or with family and friends and are encouraged to be as creative as possible. 

Their videos will be featured along with Bathiya, Santhush and Cricketing stars singing the World Twenty20anthem.  

“We wanted to involve the fans in the video of the ICC World Twenty20 song as they are a huge part of the country’s spirited cricket culture” said Bathiya and Santhush at the opening of releasing the video to the nation. “Fans have built the celebratory atmosphere that surrounds a game of cricket. The upcoming ICC World Twenty20 will be an explosion of excitement and fun and this is a special tribute to all the fans of the game.”

Special booths with fun backdrops and props will be set up in key locations and towns for fans to record their videos and upload the clips. Fans will be able upload clips of their own creative video versions by clicking on the option “Create a video response” below the official song.

The fan responses will later be screened by the ICC and uploaded to the official ICC Youtube channel, www.youtube/user/cricketicc to generate the most number of “thumbs up” in the contest. Selected contestants will then be entitled to have their personal ‘cheer’ as part of the official music video.

The official song with lyrics will be uploaded to the dedicated ICC Youtube channel for fans to view. The link to the official song will also be available on the ICC site, ESPN cricinfo.com.Facebook sidebar ads and other local websites. To download the song, fans can re-visit the ICC YouTube channel.  

The English version of the event song is sung by Arjun Coomaraswamy for international audiences, the Sinhala version by local stars Bathiya and Santhush and the Tamil version by Dinesh Kanagaratnam. The Sinhala and Tamil versions are aimed at the host nation cricket fans.

The official Video of the World Twenty20 anthem will be released in Sri Lanka and globally on 7 September 2012.