Of horns and trumpets and rich vocals

By Joshua Surendraraj

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To the unassuming onlooker, a school western band concert would seem like an unusual place to spend a Saturday evening, yet the Thomian bandsmen clad with their blazers getting their funk on, made you feel a part of the cool kids and that this, was ‘the’ place to be.

‘Musica Perpetua’ was a show put together by the Western Band of S. Thomas’ College (STC) at the Lionel Wendt, recently. Aside from the headliners, the concert also featured several guest performances by St Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle and Bishop’s College, Colombo 3.

The soft drum beat to the rhythm of ‘Africa’ by TOTO, was what first got the audience moving, as the rest of the instrumentalists of the STC band came in. It was a staggered start, but the Thomians were soon to find their mojo.

Next up were the Peterites, rendering their version of ‘(Everything I do) I do it for you’ by Bryan Adams.

The band progressed to a medley of baiyla music, which was certainly a treat to witness.

The Thomians were back on stage, this time with the Four Seasons’ December, 1963 (Oh what a night). The trumpets took on the lead as the flutes and the clarinets slowly followed suite. The boys seemed immersed in their music, while the audience snapped their fingers and swayed in their seats.

We were soon to be surprised however, as a young Shevaan Dayaratne came up began to sing an Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, ‘Love changes everything’. Shevaan serenaded the audience, with his rich vocals and drew a tremendous round of applause as he finished.

Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle took on the next performance. Rising to the occasion, the ladies rendered a stunning Elton John medley, which made one have to fight the urge to not sing out the lyrics. As the applause faded, STC was back. The flutes peacefully set the pace, as the trumpets and the French horn stepped in. They added a deeper, yet richer tone to the ‘Prayer’ by Andrew Bocelli and Celine Dion.

After a quick break the spotlights focused inon the Thomians this time with their shades and hats they surprised the crowd by singing ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars.
The boys seemed to be having fun up on stage, which almost made one jealous for having to sit down through the whole process.

Bishop’s College was up next with ‘Trumpets’. The ladies in purple seemed to be in perfect sync, as each one seemed to know their fellow mate’s next move. This was just what made their performance interesting to watch.

As the Bishopians finished their set, one was soon to realize that the evening was drawing to a close. But the Thomians saved thebest for last.

Eksath De Alwis, the host for the evening, grabbed the mike and the audience was soon serenaded by his cover of ‘Help Yourself’ a Tom Jones classic. This was a performance which left the crowd wanting more.

Following this, the audience soon took a trip down memory lane. The five saxophonists of the band got in the groove, delivering a nostalgic rendition of a 1940s classic by Glen Miller, ‘In the mood’.

We were told that it was friendship and a sense of brotherhood which brought the Thomians together up on stage. “I am extremely thrilled that we were able to pull this off, because many of us are leaving this year,” Prashan Bastianz, the STC band leader said adding that the band had decided to challenge themselves.

Celebrating a century by the sea, the school was certainly not short of talent and the applause only seemed to get louder as the Thomians closed the show.