Stirring guitar riffs at ‘Guitar Fest’
The soft strumming of the guitar, captures one’s attention. The excitement of what’s in store at this year’s Guitar Fest, stirs. It’s time to take a step back from your average musical show, to experience something truly different and that’s exactly what the festival has delivered over its past six segments. This year, however they took it to another level.
The very first time he was invited to perform for ‘Guitar Fest’, renowned Sri Lankan guitarist Andrew Obeysekere, was so impressed by what he saw, that he knew it was the beginning of something great. The Mirror Magazine, caught up with Andrew soon after his final performance in Jaffna, recently, this year.
“I was approached by Theena Kumaragurunathan (the winner of Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016), at the request of Mr. Mohammed Iqbal in 2010,” he recalls. This was the very first Guitar Fest, which was held at the Russian Cultural Centre. It was a free concert and the musicians performed to a full house. “There were even people standing and just listening from outside,” he says.
The conversation leads us to what the show is about, and to Andrew, Guitar Fest is much more than music. It is about creating unity between musicians and people of different religious and racial backgrounds. Apart from this, it also provides a new listening experience for the audience.
“Last year we performed in Jaffna and a young boy was inspired so much, that he performed a classical guitar piece this year, having zero infrastructure for music and learning, compared to the opportunities enjoyed by most people in the other parts of the country,” he relates.
This is one of many stories from the audience. And soon after their performances, they’ve always had people come up and speak to them, about how the music had touched them, Andrew says.
To the musicians, it has always been a touching and sometimes even a heartbreaking experience, to see what the musicians and enthusiasts in other regions of the country have gone through, Andrew explains. “We were welcomed into their homes and treated like Kings even when they have so little. We were welcomed for being “Sri Lankan” and it was a beautiful feeling,” he says.
The Colombo leg of the show took place at the Russian Cultural Centre last month. It was indeed a treat, to witness the raw talent of both local and international musicians.
Thilangee Thilkarathne (31), a Classical & Flamenco guitarist, from Badulla, was first up. Her passion for music, emitted through her guitar, while her soft vocals captivated the audience.
She was followed on by the equally talented Joshua Perera. Being a first timer on the show, this Guitar Fest was a special one to him as he told the audience, he was to perform an original, ‘Death and Decay’. The progressive metal track, was overall, an enlightening experience.
Guitar Fest was certainly not short of talent that evening.
We watched as his hands slid along the fret board, like ocean waves on a calm sunny day. The music was hauntingly beautiful, and the occasional thump on the guitar made Indian guitarist Aditya Gandhi’s performance, a thriller to watch.
Aditya wasn’t the only international artist to take on the stage. To Ken Gonzo Sugamata, a Japanese, maestro in Brazilian styles, this was his fourth time on the show. “Ayubowan,” he tells the audience much to their surprise, before taking on a classical Brazilian piece.
Shortly after the festival, we caught up with Mr. Mohomed Iqbal, secretary of the Guitar association of Sri Lanka, the organizers of Guitar Fest.
“We started off in 2011 with a few guitarists in Colombo,” he tells us, adding that back then it used to be called ‘Different guitar styles of Sri Lanka’. In 2012 they named it Guitar Fest and the name stuck on.
‘Guitar Fest’ has always been about promoting different styles of music, he explains. “There is no proper music education for the public. All they hear is, either what’s on the radio or internet. But the guitarists seek new music and they promote that music,” he tells us adding that the festival helps with this.
The concert took on four cities, last year, which included Colombo, Kurunegala, Jaffna and concluded at the Rajarata University. It aimed to develop young talent in the regions they performed at, so the shows were never the same. This year, it also included a school concert in Peradeniya, which was completely different to what they’ve had before.
“The initial thought was to experiment Guitar Fest with school children and it was a success. There were 400 children, who took part from 20 different schools,” Mr. Iqbal recalls.
Aside from this, the festival also carried onto Batticaloa and Badulla on January 24 and 25.
“It’s Carnatic music that’s popular in Batticaloa and to them, this type of music was new but they wanted more of it,” he says adding that the crowd was particularly interested in fusion and heavy metal music. “This concert was very lively for us.”
Mr. Iqbal concluded by expressing his gratitude to the Cultural Ministry and Mrs. Anusha Gokula Fernando, the Director, of the Department of Cultural Affairs, for identifying the potential of this festival. According to Mr. Iqbal it was the ministry, that provided them with transport and sound equipment, without which the shows wouldn’t have been possible.