Tonight! Rukshan returns
At home with his music: Rukshan Perera. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
The ‘Nursery Rhapsody’ is reverberating through Rukshan Perera’s home in Mirihana and a stray neighbour or two could be excused for feeling slightly baffled. A clever play on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, it soars and dips in all the right places, despite 100% of the lyrics being sourced directly from Lankan nursery rhymes. We feel at once both a pre-schooler and their parents, and when we tell him so he laughs uproariously.
Making original music is not exactly foreign territory for the artist, who rose to fresh fame in 2011 when he returned to Sri Lanka amidst much fanfare for his first concert in many years. Since then much has been said about this genial man from Moratuwa who lived for several decades in the US, working in the IT sector and travelling the world for shows; yet they all agree on one thing- this is one of our country’s top products.
This time Rukshan returns to the stage for a special cause. ‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert V’ is organised by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan in aid of the Rotary Foundation. This year Colombo Metropolitan will launch a flagship initiative ‘Lama Piyasa-Ragama Rehabilitation Hospital Project’ to construct and administer a rehabilitation ward for juvenile victims of abuse and neglect, seeking assistance from the Rotary Foundation.
“I’m lucky to be able to live the kind of life I do,” says the musician. “I make music for the love of it because I’m secure financially and so I have the freedom to pick and choose and contribute to causes like this when I can.” Although perhaps it’s time he focused on the commercial aspect as well, he reminds himself. He has developed a convenient, but rather disadvantageous habit of posting his new material straight to YouTube, he tells us. “Not very rewarding materially, but people get to hear my new songs with very little trouble!”
The concert will feature the De Lanerolle Brothers, Rajitha Rupasinghe, Clifford Richard, Little Sopranos and Sarith Surith. Rukshan has composed 10 new songs and promises to introduce a new instrument on stage (so far, he has played the guitar, piano, flute and harmonica). Also to be performed are an original song for Rotary Sri Lanka and a special song to raise awareness about child abuse.
Two compositions in honour of Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela will also be performed. The latter was written within a matter of days after Mandela’s passing away, he tells us. Writing new music quickly comes naturally to him. “Those days I would write it down on paper or have to wait until I got to a place where I could make a note of it. Now I just record it on the phone and build on that.”
Rukshan’s audiences have come to expect his original compositions at concerts and it is largely thanks to their cooperation that he thrives on stage the way he does, he says. “The first time I did a show there was a big question mark about whether I would perform my original music.” He’s glad he bit the bullet and did so, despite local audiences being notoriously biased towards covers of well-known songs. Since then it has been a heady journey yet the musician is yet to tire of his pursuit. “I’m constantly composing,” he says. “Even when I’m on holiday.”
Rukshan looks forward to an eventful year musically. He hopes to “finally” release the jazz album he recorded with Grammy award-winning bassist Hussain Jiffry-they used to play together in LA-and perhaps another album with his new music as well. For his fans he has only one simple tip-head over to the Bishop’s College auditorium today for a well-deserved break from the political drama at hand!
‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert V’ will be on today at the Bishop’s College Auditorium from 7 p.m. onwards. Tickets are available at the venue.
On the eve of his concert, this well known musician speaks to Duvindi Illankoon
The ‘Nursery Rhapsody’ is reverberating through Rukshan Perera’s home in Mirihana and a stray neighbour or two could be excused for feeling slightly baffled. A clever play on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, it soars and dips in all the right places, despite 100% of the lyrics being sourced directly from Lankan nursery rhymes. We feel at once both a pre-schooler and their parents, and when we tell him so he laughs uproariously.
Making original music is not exactly foreign territory for the artist, who rose to fresh fame in 2011 when he returned to Sri Lanka amidst much fanfare for his first concert in many years. Since then much has been said about this genial man from Moratuwa who lived for several decades in the US, working in the IT sector and travelling the world for shows; yet they all agree on one thing- this is one of our country’s top products.
This time Rukshan returns to the stage for a special cause. ‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert V’ is organised by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan in aid of the Rotary Foundation. This year Colombo Metropolitan will launch a flagship initiative ‘Lama Piyasa-Ragama Rehabilitation Hospital Project’ to construct and administer a rehabilitation ward for juvenile victims of abuse and neglect, seeking assistance from the Rotary Foundation.
“I’m lucky to be able to live the kind of life I do,” says the musician. “I make music for the love of it because I’m secure financially and so I have the freedom to pick and choose and contribute to causes like this when I can.” Although perhaps it’s time he focused on the commercial aspect as well, he reminds himself. He has developed a convenient, but rather disadvantageous habit of posting his new material straight to YouTube, he tells us. “Not very rewarding materially, but people get to hear my new songs with very little trouble!”
The concert will feature the De Lanerolle Brothers, Rajitha Rupasinghe, Clifford Richard, Little Sopranos and Sarith Surith. Rukshan has composed 10 new songs and promises to introduce a new instrument on stage (so far, he has played the guitar, piano, flute and harmonica). Also to be performed are an original song for Rotary Sri Lanka and a special song to raise awareness about child abuse.
Two compositions in honour of Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela will also be performed. The latter was written within a matter of days after Mandela’s passing away, he tells us. Writing new music quickly comes naturally to him. “Those days I would write it down on paper or have to wait until I got to a place where I could make a note of it. Now I just record it on the phone and build on that.”
Rukshan’s audiences have come to expect his original compositions at concerts and it is largely thanks to their cooperation that he thrives on stage the way he does, he says. “The first time I did a show there was a big question mark about whether I would perform my original music.” He’s glad he bit the bullet and did so, despite local audiences being notoriously biased towards covers of well-known songs. Since then it has been a heady journey yet the musician is yet to tire of his pursuit. “I’m constantly composing,” he says. “Even when I’m on holiday.”
Rukshan looks forward to an eventful year musically. He hopes to “finally” release the jazz album he recorded with Grammy award-winning bassist Hussain Jiffry-they used to play together in LA-and perhaps another album with his new music as well. For his fans he has only one simple tip-head over to the Bishop’s College auditorium today for a well-deserved break from the political drama at hand!
‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert V’ will be on today at the Bishop’s College Auditorium from 7 p.m. onwards. Tickets are available at the venue.