The students of the 9th Annual International Youth Summer Camp exhibited their potential for greatness at the public performance staged on August 22 at the Bishops College Auditorium, Colombo.

Year 2010 heralded the 9th Annual International Youth Summer Camp organized by the International Institute of Music, Speech and Drama (IIMSD), a leading institute for performing arts in SL. The week August 15-22 has been an exciting week for all who participated in the 9th Annual International Youth Summer Camp, held in Colombo.

The public performance had individual items from the Music, Speech and Dance departments - orchestral music, dance, ballet, choral speaking and drama. It also included combined performances incorporating the three performing disciplines of Music, Speech and Dance.

The event was indeed an eye opener to many as it boasted a variety of talents ranging from music and dance to theatre. The directors worked tirelessly with students of all levels to ensure they bring out the best in them at the end of one week. The successful performance was a collective effort of the participants and directors.

The concert was directed by Andrew Sherwood of UK assisted by Anton Dias - Music; Timothy McCarthy of Ireland assisted by Honor Carroll - Speech and Drama; Hannah Wheeler of UK- Dance.

The organizing director of the concert was Mrs. Joy Ferdinando, Director of IIMSD. The event was sponsored by the London College of Music and Media - Faculty of the Thames Valley University, UK.
In addition to the well-known directors were well wishers, friends and the families of the participants. Their attendance encouraged the performers immensely.

Among the Choral Ensembles were: 'Call of Lanka' by Walter Stanley Senior, 'BAT' by D.H. Lawrence, and the 'Visitor' by Ian Serraillier. The event started with the 'Call of Lanka' which was dedicated in memoriam of Mrs. Dharmaraja, who passed away a few months back.

The poem boasted the sorrow, joy, victory and faithful future of SL. The excellent preparation of the participants was seen right at the beginning of the very first item. There was also group verse speaking and Duo verse speaking items presented by the senior speech and drama students.

'The monster that ate 3b' by Randall Lewton was the Drama Ensemble which was performed by both senior and junior drama students. Among the musical theatre items were 'Go Go Joseph' and 'Joseph's Coat' which were beautifully presented by both senior and junior drama students.

Among the dance items were 'I gotta feeling' by black eyed peas, 'Yeh Raat' by Anupama, and 'Paper Planes' by Mia which were performed by a junior group of dancers below 12 yrs of age; while 'telephone' by lady gaga was performed by the senior female dance group. James Bond was performed by a group of senior boys.

They enjoyed this item to the fullest as they are fans of James Bond. The songs performed by the orchestra were 'Any Dream Will Do', 'Minuet' by Sebastian Bach, 'March from Ricardo' by George Fredrick Handel, 'Sinfonia' by Henry Purcell, and 'The Lass of Richmond Hill' by James Hook.

Closing the night was the camp choir performing several songs from the oldies. The audience was able to sing along with the participants and enjoy the final half hour of the concert which ended with the distribution of certificates. This celebration of talent has indeed grabbed the awareness of those who appreciate quality entertainment. - Rehana Ferdinando