| The Chamber Music Society of Colombo is this year’s recipient of the Deutsche Botschaft Kultural Grant. This grant from the government of the Federal Republic of Germany includes 56 full orchestral sets of Germanic music, including rare out-of-print editions of works by Michael Haydn, Paul Hindemith and Anton Bruckner.
Receiving this valuable sheet music in the form of a gift, would significantly enhance the ensemble’s ability to programme singular works of distinction in its private and public concerts, said Lakshman Joseph de Saram, the Society’s Artistic Director. “Not only will this rarefied music enrich the live concert experience by intellectually challenging the erudite listener, it will also naturally lead to a greater awareness and appreciation of Germany’s perennial gift to the world of high culture,” he said.
The Society has already made its mark as an acclaimed platform for new interpretations of the classics. More importantly, it is poised to be a primary sponsor for the politically and culturally explosive music of modern Sri Lanka and South Asia. Among the critically acclaimed works of new music of Sri Lankan origin that the ensemble has performed in Colombo are, Stephen Allen’s “Dawn of Kandula” and Premasiri Khemadasa’s “Beyond the Horizon” both world premieres.
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jürgen Weerth, said he was pleased on behalf of the people of Germany to be able to extend support to further the mission of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo. These were objectives that can only help to strengthen the cultural understanding between the peoples of Germany and Sri Lanka.
The Society next performs at the Dutch Reformed Church, Galle, at the headlining concert of the Galle Literary Festival, on January 31. | 
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