An extravagant musical journey
Built in the latter part of the 60’s, the Navarangahala theatre in Colombo has stood time immemorial as one of the main national theatres in the country, with its hallowed dome being graced by the greats of the local theatre scene. The Navarangahala is in itself a piece of history, having hosted the House of Representatives of Ceylon in the finalisation of the republic constitution -proclaiming the Republic of Sri Lanka- but today it’s in need of urgent renovations.
Hence the Prefects Council of the College, are putting together -’Royalists On Stage’- a concert that will not only raise funds for their beloved theatre, but also present a memorable evening for the public. The concert, is an extravagant musical journey featuring a plethora of mainstream artists – all products of Royal College.
“The concert is a unique experience, bringing all Royal College alumni in the music industry performing together at the same venue,” says Nelaka Jayasekera of the college’s organizing committee. The main highlights of the show will be: Santhush Weeraman , Dushyanth Weeraman, Ranidu Lankage, Iraj Weeraratne, Randhir Withana, Athula Adhikari, Chillie Thilanka, Hiran Thenuwara, Krishan Maheson, Channa Perera, Mihindu Ariyaratne, Athula Adhikari, Rakith, Suresh Maliyadda, Dulip Gabadamudali, Channa Perera and NAADRO.
“The evening will also serve as a platform, as well as an inspirational initiative for the future generation of musically gifted royalists to share their talent with the public. To better demonstrate this, musical items from the Royal College Choir, the Royal College Orchestra as well as performances by those who were fortunate enough to have been selected via a professional auditioning process, will be presented,” Nelaka adds.
“Even though a number of artists who are part of the Sri Lankan music arena are Royalists only a few have performed together on one stage. We realized it is essential to bring together these big names onto one stage and put up a performance that will indeed be a treat to all music lovers.” It was heartening for the organizers to be greeted with positive responses from all the artists, and as Nelaka puts it “They were not hesitant to be a part of this musical extravaganza for their alma mater.”
The beauty of the concert lies in the fact that most of the renowned artists who are alumni of Royal College have embarked on their musical journey at the Navaranagahala.
“Besides the Royalists we have guest performances by Bathiya, Umaria and Ashanthi. All together we have fifteen eminent personalities of the music arena gracing the stage next week. We also have our own enthusiastic Royalists who have made it through the Auditions to showcase their talents,” says Nelaka. The students taking part from the college went through gruelling auditions and were handpicked by none other than Santush Weeraman.
Royalists on Stage will be held on Saturday, November 9 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium from 4.00 p.m onwards. Tickets are priced at Rs. 1000, Rs. 1500, Rs. 2000 and Rs. 3000 (VIP) and can be purchased from Barista (Horton Place, Bambalapitiya, World Trade Center, Thummulla, Duplication Road), Yamaha Music Center – Colombo 07, the Royal College Union Merchandise shop and www.ticketslk.com
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