Soundarie and Sanjeev strike new musical chord
Sanjeev Jayaratnam
“Uniting through music!” The whole purpose is to create a community choir which fosters togetherness and builds bridges, say well known choral directors Soundarie David Rodrigo, founder of the Soul Sounds Academy and Sanjeev Jayaratnam, leader of The Revelations Academy of Performing Arts, who are combining their expertise and efforts to introduce a fresh ensemble of choral singers.
“In a country like ours with so much talent I think together we can all achieve so much more – we’re hoping that both Sanjeev’s and my experience can collectively contribute towards further enhancing that talent that’s already in the country,” says Soundarie.
Having experienced success over the years with their respective ensembles, Soul Sounds and The Revelations, the directors are looking to establish a mixed voice choir capable of taking their talents to competitions both locally and internationally. The upcoming group has been dubbed ‘Sangeet’; their vari-coloured logo is a combination of English, Sinhala and Tamil lettering and takes inspiration from the Sinhala word “Sangeethaye” and Tamil word “Sangeetham”.
Plans for the group were begun in 2020 and auditions set to begin in March but postponed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soundarie David Rodrigo
No strangers to the international stage, with the Revelations and Soul Sounds serenading audiences around the world and bringing home many a title and accolade, Sanjeev and Soundarie say they aspire to take Sangeet to similar heights. “What we want to do is make Sangeet truly international and world class,” says Sanjeev. “These are things Sri Lankans are capable of doing and we want to bring that Sri Lankan pride back.”
Sangeet’s repertoire will include a multitude of genres including pop, jazz, gospel and Sinhala music. With auditions open to all above the age of 15 years, they encourage everyone, regardless of prior experience or attachment to other groups, to come try out. “Let age not be a restriction,” says Soundarie.
Sanjeev assures, “If you’re not sure if you’re good enough for this come and audition anyway – sometimes you might not think you’re good enough but you might have a fantastic voice which you may not even realize.”
Dates for Sangeet’s debut performance have already been finalised for February 2023.
“Music, personally for me has been very therapeutic. I think coming together and being together with people from all walks of life and uniting with their passion to sing can be immensely helpful especially to cope with the daily stress of what we’re going through right now in the country,” says Soundarie. “If you want an evening to get away and be with music, this is your chance.”
“One other thing we’re trying to do is make the music we create really speak to the audience. It’s about emotion, it’s about communication, and it’s about transferring those emotions from the choir to the audience and making music magical so that it touches people’s hearts,” says Sanjeev.
Auditions to join Sangeet will be held on October 2 at the Soul Sounds Academy from 9 a.m. onwards. To register for an audition please contact Sanjeev on WhatsApp — 0777346806.
For updates follow Soul Sounds and The Revelations on Facebook and Instagram.
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