Amaranath goes solo
View(s):Renowned musician and lecturer in guitar
The maiden solo live in concert by Classical and Flamenco guitarist, univercity lecturer and writer Amaranath Ranatunga will be performed at 6.30 pm on June 17 at the Russian Cultural Centre, 10, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7.
Sri Lanka’s first lecturer on the Classical and Flamenco Guitar Amaranth designed a syllabus for classical and flamenco guitar for the four year BA degree-Bachelor of Performing Arts course at the University of the Visual Performing Arts, Colombo 7.
More than 35 graduates of Amaranth are now music teachers attached to government schools while six others teach music at private schools.
“Through these well trained teachers we have been able to spread guitar as a subject among the children specially in many rural parts of the country,” says Amaranath who is in the mission of spreading the classical and flamenco guitar music across Sri Lanka.
In addition all the graduates who studied under Amaranath are qualified to send students for Trinity College Examination in guitar and thanks to Amaranath a younger generation of classical guitarists are being groomed
“This is a happy news as guitar is becoming one of the popular instruments for Trinity College exam now,” says internationally recognised guitarist .
“Not only youngsters but even those adults who missed the opportunity of learning guitar as children now can start learning the instrument and sit for exams,” Amaranath said.
Starting from Colombo the concert will be travelling around the country throughout the year.
“Our aim is not to make profits from these shows but to spread the interest about this wonderful guitar music,” says Amaranath. Following the show on July 17, the concert will be performed in Kandy at Chandrananda Buddhist College auditorium on July `5, City Hotel Kurunegala on August 26, Sudasuna hall in Chilaw on September 23 and next February at Galle Fort.
Following the performances in Sri Lanka, Amaranath will take his solo concert to Australia where he will perform three shows at Melbourne University next March. Amaranath together with his pupils earlier went around the country with a guitar concert ‘Andante to Allegro’. He also has written several books on guitar and music in Sinhala namely ‘Wadakayaku Bihiwima’ (Birth of a musician).