Sri Lankan Choral Week 2015

Sri Lankan Choral Week 2015 starting on Saturday, March 21 will culminate in the grand production of St. John’s Passion by J. S. Bach at St. Paul’s Church, Kynsey Road, on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. Sri Lankan Choral Week (SLCW) takes place in Sri Lanka for the first time, under the co-direction of Lakshman Joseph de Saram and Soundari David, who need no introduction to Sri Lankan classical music enthusiasts. Organisers expect the participation of more than 60 regional and international musicians at vocal and conducting workshops held throughout the week. The idea for SLCW was, in fact, originally that of Gregory Rose. Rose, a well-known name on the international classical stage, is not a foreigner to Sri Lanka. He has visited the island numerous times, worked with many choirs and chamber groups, and staged many awe-inspiring performances for our audiences, most memorably, Verdi’s Requiem in 2009 and a comprehensive selection of Opera Choruses in 2014. His engagement with and love for Sri Lanka and her musicians birthed the idea of a week of intensive vocal and conducting workshops that would lead to a major performance. Rose will lead the conducting workshops while his colleague at the Trinity Laban Conservatory, Alison Wells, will conduct workshops and masterclasses for singers during SLCW 2015. Wells, who has performed on nearly all of London’s famed stages, in classical as well as contemporary shows, will also train the Sri Lanka Festival Chorus for its final performance at the end of the week’s events. The organizers hope that SLCW will grow into an annual event, creating more opportunities to feature major choral works in Sri Lanka, as well as to draw regional attention to western classical music in the island. SLCW 2015 will in fact see the participation of a number of musicians from India. Fairway Holdings is premier sponsor for Sri Lanka Choral Week, and all Choral Week events (apart from the final performance) will be held at Geothe Institut, another generous sponsor of the event. Sri Lankan Choral Week workshops are open to the public and registrations will open at the Geothe Institut on Saturday, March 21.