The stage is set at the Wendt
Young Musicians at the Wendt’, a concert that will showcase the talent and skill of upcoming artists organised by the Lionel Wendt Memorial Fund will be held on August 10 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.
The concert will feature young musicians Anagi Gunasekera, Tiyanie Sahabandu, Sahan Samarakoon, Tharish Lanerolle, Genisha Dassanayake, Nimshi Wanniarachchi, Shashini Pandithasundera, Demintha Fonseka, Amarsha Tissera, Manoj Wijayawardana, Sarisha Senanayake, Vidhurinda Samaraweera, Harith Shihan, Ravindu Perera, Samali Udara Liyanage, Johann Peiris and Avishka Wikramanayake.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Johann Peiris who is known to the Colombo music-scene as a keyboardist and has collaborated on many musical projects ranging from piano-vocal recitals to chamber music engagements and solo appearances with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and the Chamber Music Society of Colombo said it was wonderful to get an opportunity to build synergies between young musicians and also share the joys of making music together. “The organizers also hope to showcase works that are not performed frequently as well as new compositions by Sri Lankans. I really hope this concert series will gain popularity and continue to inspire young musicians to choose challenging and uncommon repertoire by the great composers,” he said.
Amarsha Tissera started her musical journey on the piano at the age of five and has since then completed her A.T.C.L. in piano (performance), speech and drama and is currently pursing her ATCL in cello (performance). She will be performing a Beeethoven Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello together with Johann Peiris and Manoj Wijayawardana.
Anagi Gunasekera who is a part of the Junior Symphony Orchestra and National Unity orchestras, expressed her gratitude towards the Wendt. “This concert has given me the opportunity to explore new repertoire and helped me to understand and interpret more advanced pieces for the piano. It has certainly helped me to grow as a pianist and also developed my self confidence.” She will be performing two exciting pieces by Rachmaninov and Poulenc, the latter with good friend Tiyanie Sahabandu.
Seventeen-year-old Tiyanie Sahabandu is an Associate of the Royal School of Music London. Tiyanie began learning the piano at the age of three and then proceeded to learn singing under the guidance of her mother Menaka De Fonseka Sahabandu.
Ravindu Perera and Samali Udara Liyanage who were also under the tutelage of Menaka De Fonseka Sahabandu are part of the Menaka Singers Opera Ensemble. They have both taken part in master classes with internationally recognized vocal coaches such as Barbara Segal, Maestros Peter Crockford and Carlos Conde Gonzalez. Ravindu has also had the opportunity to learn under Chris Thornton Holmes.
Vidhurinda Samaraweera, an old boy of S.Thomas College will be playing the French Horn at the concert. After debuting as a Horn Soloist at the Young Soloists’ Concert of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka in 2014, the inception of the Gustav Mahler Society of Colombo (GMSC) in 2018 marked his arrival as the Associate Conductor of its orchestra.
He said that he was deeply honoured to have been invited to play a solo piece at the concert. “It is not every day that you get to witness chamber music being performed live by youngsters, especially featuring instruments tagged as uncommon such as the Horn. I hope this would be a catalyst for other young people out there also to pick up an instrument. My gratitude goes to the Lionel Wendt Theatre Foundation for organising this fantastic event.”
In line with the Lionel Wendt Memorial Fund’s main objective to promote the arts, the concert is the first of a new series. The Fund hopes to continue with this initiative to provide a platform for musicians to perform at least twice a year.
Tickets for the concert priced at Rs. 1,500, Rs. 1,000, Rs. 800 and Rs.500 for balcony are available at the Lionel Wendt.