Arts
Sharing a stage for peace and solidarity
A Tri Nation Concert for Peace presented by The Voice by Ishan De Lanerolle with the Ao Naga Choir from India and the Fricilia Mixed Choir from Indonesia along with the Visakha Vidyalaya Senior Choir will be held on October 31 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre at 7.30 p.m.
Rohan De Lanerolle
The choirs will also sing in Delhi, India, on October 26 at the Kamani Auditorium. Another concert will be held in Manado, Indonesia on November 2 at the Four Points by Sheraton. Rohan De Lanerolle is the artistic director of the two foreign choirs and will be conducting.
“The concert is all about sharing a stage singing together not only in Sri Lanka but in India and Indonesia too. 80% of the concert programme is a-capella. It’s a concert that I am conducting for peace in our nations. We thought that with all that has been going on and especially after what happened in Sri Lanka recently, we should join forces to show that we are joined in solidarity,” says Rohan.
“I have heard what Rohan has done with the choirs and I am very glad to present this show in Sri Lanka and to perform with them in India and Indonesia too. It will be a treat for any choral music enthusiast,” his brother Ishan adds.
“I have always continued to keep in touch with Fricilia who is the Music Director of the Indonesian Choir and when I was judging an International Choir competition in Hong Kong in 2015, she took part in it with a different choir from Manado. She wanted me to come over and work with her own choir to which I agreed in 2017 after which she invited me to be their Artistic Director, which incidentally was the very first time a Sri Lankan was bestowed with such a position,” explains Rohan. As for the Indian choir, after judging the first Salzburg International Choral Competition, he conducted a masterclass for the Ao Naga Choir and was invited by the choir’s Director Mr Yaden to come and work with them for a specific concert in 2017. In 2018 Rohan was appointed their Artistic Director.
Ao Naga Choir, will be performing songs such as Look at the World, My heart is steadfast, Kia hora re marino and more. The Fricilia Mixed Choir will be singing Ave Maria, God’s gonna set this world and much more. In addition, there will also be combined performances with Ishan De Lanerolle, and the Visakha Vidyalaya Senior Choir. Neranjan De Silva, an expert at orchestral Instrumentation, and well known pianist Sureka Amerasinghe, will be collaborating as well.
“I believe that giving the girls an opportunity to sing in front of the public is a good thing to build self-confidence and further, a rare occasion where the girls have the opportunity to share the stage with two international choirs and to learn from them too. In fact, the choir directors of both choirs will be conducting two master classes for the girls too so I see this as a learning experience for the Senior Choir of Visakha,” Rohan adds. Rohan is the currently choir director of the Visakha Vidyalaya Senior Choir.
Tickets priced at Rs 3000, 2000, 1500 downstairs, and 500 for balcony are available.
Call 0777-996991 for more information.
Ao Naga Choir from India
Fricilia Mixed Choir from Indonesia