Arts
Bringing a song to your heart as the season begins
The holiday season is fast approaching — signalling both the end of a year as well as the start of something new and the hope for a better future to come. Here to usher in the Christmas feeling in style and song are eight of Sri Lanka’s leading musicians who will join forces at ‘Christmas is Here’, organised by Sound Scope at the Russian Cultural Centre on December 1 from 7 p.m. onwards.
Rock around the Christmas tree: From L to r: Tilanka, Lydia, Sheaam, Melissa, Nuran, Andrea and Christo. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Speaking to the performers, we got an insight into what Christmas means to them and their plans for the show they are all delighted to be a part of.
Founder of Sound Scope and flautist Tilanka Jayamanne tells us this concert will be a more intimate affair than their previous one, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, held in August.
Encouraged by the impact they made there, many of the artists are returning to perform for this concert.
Tilanka is grateful that Sound Scope has inspired the artists to trust and work with them. This time, the team is taking over the entire organising aspect of the show so the artists can have full creative freedom. “We want to create an environment where all musicians can do their thing without worrying about the organising part,” he shares.
The artists will focus on including a modern twist to Christmas carols, whilst also capturing the essence of what makes it a Christmas carol.
It was a shared love for music that brought Tilanka to his now fiance Lydia Goonatilleke, who will be playing the violin for the show.
For Lydia, the music and bringing people together is what makes Christmas special, and she tells us their aim for this concert is to “kickstart Christmas with a bang” and share that excitement and spirit from the very start of the season.
Nuran
Tilanka
Andrea
Melissa
“We do this because it makes us happy, and it brings joy to so many people,” she adds.
‘Christmas is Here’ will feature vocals by Sheaam Dean, Melissa Pereira and Andrea Melisa. They will be presenting their own solos as well as a few duets and trios for the show.
Coming back to perform for this concert was a no-brainer for Sheaam, who loves performing with these artists as they are like family to him. “We will be doing a mix of traditional Christmas music and songs which are relatively newer. We’re trying to strike a good balance,” he shares.
Christmas has always had a big impression on Sheaam. But, sadly he finds the season has become too commercial today. But what you feel inside doesn’t change, and Sheaam still enjoys getting together with friends and family and doing what he loves, which is to sing.
Also sharing in that Christmas spirit are Andrea and Melissa.
Christmas is all about love and family, says Andrea. When she moved to Sri Lanka last year, she was away from her family for Christmas. But she didn’t feel that she missed out on it because of the friends she made in Sri Lanka. “They made me feel at home,” she recalls. Melissa too loves the season and shares that Christmas has always been the happiest time of the year for her.
Shobi
Sheaam
Christo
Lydia
Andrea explains that since all three vocalists are different, they bring their own element to the show and this makes the music diverse, as she is more of a pop singer and Melissa brings an RnB element.
For renowned pianist Nuran Gomez, this will be the only show that he will be a part of for the season. He feels that all the performers understand each other musically which makes things much easier. Nuran, together with Lydia, Christo Prins, Tilanka and Shobi Perera have prepared a few original arrangements that they hope the audience will be excited by.
Acclaimed musicians themselves, both Christo Prins and Shobi Perera have always been involved in Christmas shows. Christo tells us the feel is different with this concert and this gives him the opportunity to use more percussion. As he puts it, ‘Christmas is Here’ will include a mix of non pop instruments with pop instruments.
Tickets are priced at Rs. 2000 and Rs. 1500. To purchase tickets, send a message to the Sound Scope Facebook page www.facebook.com/soundscope.lk or their Instagram page @soundscope.lk, or call the ticket hotline 076 785 3293.