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Sri Lankan music to echo in city tonight

DUBAI - Popular Sri Lankan singers and musicians will regale the Dubai audience at a semi- classical musical concert to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel tonight.

Three leading singers Amarasiri Peiris, Deepika, and Sunil Edirisinghe, along with a team of four musicians, who have given several performances in the past in the UAE, said, they look forward to another enchanting musical show of Sinhalese music in Dubai.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Thursday, the artists performing under the direction of popular Sinahala music director Rohana Weerasinghe, said, the concert will have both folk and semi-classicial music forms as well as several popular film songs and hit numbers from their respective music albums. "I am excited to once again perform before the UAE audience," said Deepika, the female singer accompanying the team of artists.

"I have performed in Dubai in the past, but it was before a different kind of audience at the Al Nasr Leisureland and other venues. However, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is expected to see a large number of Sri Lankans who are serious music lovers," she said, hoping to give her best tonight.

Rohana Weerasinghe, the foremost musical director in Sri Lanka who has composed lyrics and music and is also a singer in his own right said, "Like in India, Sri Lankans are now enjoyiong light and popular film music, but, we still have a large segment of Sri lankans, particularly those living overseas, who are keen lovers of semi- classical and classical music. This show targets that class of people and we hope the artists are all appreciated in Dubai."

Accompanying Deepika on the show is Amarasiri, receipient of several film and musical awards, and Sunil who has recently gained instant popularity as a play-back singer and is in big demand. Amarasiri has only few numbers to his credit, but each of the number is extremely popular and the audience is sure to enjoy his music.

The concert is organised by the Cultural Group at the Sri Lankan Consulate in Dubai in aid of raising funds for scholarships for the poor and needy children in the island nation.

Piyal Karunasena, organiser of the event, said, he hopes to raise large amount of money, all of which will be donated towards a scholarship fund in Sri Lanka. So far the Cultural Group has sponsored over 15 children paying a monthly fee of around Sri Lankan Rs 1,000 per month towards their educational expense.

The concert will be held at the Emirates Auditorium and the entry to the show is by tickets priced at Dh 60 and Dh 40. Tickets will be available at the hotel and the three hour show will have P.D Fernando, Sri Lankan Consul General as the Chief Guest.