She lived, loved music

Having held out till her jubilant choir ‘Voices in Harmony’ (VIH) returned on Wednesday, from the first ever Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia last week, bearing two Diploma Golds in the Mixed Choir and Folklore categories, Ruwani Seimon breathed her last knowing that she had fulfilled one of her many dreams for her beloved protégés. Teacher, mentor, mother and friend, Ruwani who committed most of her life to nurturing young talent and contributed much to the local music scene, died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer, leaving behind not just countless memories but more so a legacy of courage, dedication and perfection.

Born into a well-known medical family in Kandy (her father is renowned eye surgeon Dr. Reggie Seimon), Ruwani studied at Girls’ High School, Kandy and broke away from family tradition to pursue a career in music. Having returned to Sri Lanka after completing a B.Sc degree in Math and a Summa Cum Laude degree in Music from McMaster University, Canada, she put her entire being into her career as a choral director.

In 1996 she formed her own choir ‘Voices in Harmony’ which grew dramatically over the past decade to about 90 singers today.

In a career spanning 12 years, she trained the school choirs of St. Bridget’s Convent (SBC), Bishop’s College, Wycherley International School and Ladies’ College. She put together many a sell-out concert, the last of which ‘Spellbound’ presented by the Bridgeteen Choir went on the Lionel Wendt stage, just last month.

Music was always her passion. Whilst a student in Canada she had taken part in many University Broadway productions and formed the singing group ‘Tropical Breeze’ which sang all genres of music from classical to Baila. She was also a member of the City’s Opera Group in Canada.

Receiving the Zonta Award for ‘Performing and Creative Arts’ last year, she said “the award commemorated a life of service, as opposed to academic achievements”. Through her various shows, she had raised Rs. 1.8 million all of which had been channelled to service organizations such as the Soroptimists, Zonta, Sumithrayo and the Muslim Ladies Study Circle for their charity work. The mother of two young sons Danushka and Shevanga, Ruwani was courage personified in her gruelling two-year battle with cancer, to which she finally succumbed on Wednesday.

Colombo’s lively English theatre scene saw its fair share of Ruwani Seimon and this is how veteran director cum thespian Jerome L. De Silva remembers his first encounter with her. “Actually the first time I saw Ruwani was not as a singer but, rather, an actress. She was playing the role of Katherine in the play ‘When Shakespeare’s Women Meet’ in an Inter-School Interact Drama Competition which I was judging. The play was brilliant and it was brilliantly done by them, so much so, that they were placed a very close second and I even nominated her for Best Actress. I never made the connection between that Ruwani and the choral director Ruwani, until she told me much later on, at which point, I told her that I distinctly recalled her having worn a red dress as Katherine, to which she said that I had a brilliant memory.”

“Unknown to many people, Ruwani and I were very friendly – in fact we were ‘phone buddies’. We laughed a lot together sometimes even going into hysterics. Ruwani told me that whenever she was feeling low she would call me up to either have a good laugh or cry together,” said Mary Anne David (Aunty Mary Anne), Director of the ‘Merry-An-Singers’. “Last night at rehearsal, we observed a two minute silence for her. She did so much in such a small space of time. She was one big, brave lady – a person I really admired.”

Her bark was worse than her bite, said well known playwright and director Indu Dharmasena, describing Ruwani as very talented and not 100% but 200% dedicated to her work. So much so, that it made her quite impatient with those who couldn’t keep up to her level of dedication. “Even though the best I could do when it came to singing was ‘speak’ the music, Ruwani somehow managed to make me sing, when I played the role of King Arthur in the musical Camelot in 1997,” said Indu.

Ruwani had continued working till the very end, so much so that Indu had even wanted to work with her on another musical but, unfortunately that was not to be.“Strength, courage and determination to fight whatever life throws your way, is the quality I respect and admire the most in Ruwani,” said Soundarie David, Music Director of Soul Sounds.

Vibrant, explosive and passionate, was how Michelle Herft, a former chorister of St. Bridget’s described her. “Her vibrant personality won many hearts. Her explosive nature made her unique and gutsy. Her passion for music and teaching made all of us who lacked one tenth of it, feel inadequate. She lived, loved and sang with incredible zeal and force.”

As a music teacher she had helped many a young talent blossom. Yes FM Super Star 2005 - Dilini Perera who jointly composed the song ‘Say’ with her teacher in 2004, has many memories of her. “How do you let go of someone who shaped your life? You don’t. You hold onto every memory of that person that makes you smile. You remember what it feels like when the curtain goes up and you see Miss Ruwani sitting there, like a proud parent, smiling like there’s no tomorrow. You remember the time she cracked jokes during mass and then pretended to discipline you when people started staring, you remember her courage and zest for life even when everything seemed to be in her way, and you remember her compliments, the ones that made you feel like you can achieve anything.”

President of the Bishop’s College Choir - Dmitri Gunatilake penned a heartwarming tribute to ‘Miss’ in the souvenir of their show ‘In the Spotlight’ staged in September this year. “A mentor, mother, friend, guardian and teacher she has been. Thank you Miss for everything you’ve done and sacrificed for us. As choristers we have learnt about unity, loyalty, self discipline and to go that extra mile and never give up. Thank you again…you are the best and you always will be.”

Winner of TNL Onstage 2006 - Sheranga Perera in an interview had this to say of her teacher, “She’s the best teacher to train an artiste. Not only does she train us vocally, she trains us in so much more. She’s always told her pupils to sing with passion and be dedicated, professional and punctual all the time. Her training enables all her pupils to be a cut above the rest.”

Some of Ruwani’s students both here and abroad have opened up a Facebook Group in celebration of her life, to post tributes and to share memories with each other. Kingsley Jayasinghe, Principal of Wycherley International School whose choir Ruwani trained for many years remembers her as extremely dedicated and devoted, a perfectionist. She was strict with her students, but appreciated for it because everything she put her hand to was completed to perfection, he says.

“We were more friends than colleagues. She was constantly despairing over my singing abilities – or the lack thereof,” Director of the Yolande School of Speech and Drama – Samantha de Soysa said, adding wistfully, “we had many giggles and good times together and a mutual respect for each other.” “She had the voice of an angel and now she’s gone back to where she came from.”