7th Galle Music Fest brings soulful sounds to the stage

From left: Lakshman Joseph de Seram Advisory Committee, Soundarie David Advisory Committee, HE Ambassador Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kaushalya Pereira Festival Director and Dr.Kalasoori Arunthathy Sri Rangathan Senior Advisor – Pic by Krishan Ranasinghe

By Shannine Daniel

The annual music festival will once again take place on 14 May at Galle Fort bringing a more diverse range of folk music on to the stage this year. 

Taking place for the seventh consecutive year Galle Music Festival 2016 will draw attention to Indian folk fusion group Raghu Dixit as one of its main performance entertaining fans of folk music and modern beats alike.  

Music Festival Director Kaushalya Navaratne Pereira stated; “These festivals provide Sri Lanka’s diverse community artists with the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their unique art forms on a national stage.” 

Undertaken by the Music Cooperation between Sri Lanka and Norway since 2009 the music festival is an arena for musicians and music lovers alike to connect and absorb various cultures and genres of music. The festival alternates each year between Jaffna and Galle. 

“Over the years the Galle and Jaffna music festivals have connected many musicians with their audiences encouraging more conversations and friendships. This year we have taken that commitment to a new level with our collaborative acts,” asserted Pereira. 

The featured line-up of entertainment is twofold including artists performing both individually and collaboration from both Sri Lanka and beyond, stated Pereira. 

Local individual performances include musical traditions such as Sufi, done by the Islamic Social Heritage Cultural Association of Akkaraipattu, all women Thappu drummers by Kaveri Kala Manram of Kilinochchi, Puli Koothu from Batticaloa, Karagam from Mullaitivu, Kolam from Ambalangoda and the Colombo drummers featured by the Sandasi Drum and Dance Academy of Colombo. 

Local collaborative performances will feature four groups ‘Urban Rappers’, ‘Voices’, the University Students Collaboration, the Music Matters and Eastern University Collaboration and an all-women collaboration by ‘Soul Sounds’, Colombo drummers and Thappu Drummers.

Other than Raghu Dixit several other international musicians will showcase their talent as well. 

This year’s festival is meant to be an occasion for artists and audiences from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds to meet, celebrate the traditions and performances of their counterparts and appreciate the similarities and diversities in their musical traditions, thus fostering harmony through ethnic harmony through culture. It will revel in the multiplicity of Sri Lankan musical customs, especially highlighting Sri Lankan folk music. 

The Galle Music Festival will take place in two programs, Morning and Evening. The Morning Program will be held at the Court Square in Galle Fort from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be held in association with Galle Good Market and will be a platform to showcase Sri Lanka’s heritage of music, art and cuisine. The evening program will begin at 5 p.m. and until 10:30 p.m. and will take place at Samanala Gounds in Galle Fort. It will showcase an array of local and international musicians bringing both folk tunes and contemporary music to the stage. 

Pereira added that entrance to the music festival is free and there is no cost involved in participation either. 

As always in addition to the main festival, the Colombo Concert will take place afterwards, at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort on 15 May from 6:30 p.m. onwards, giving an opportunity for those who will not be able to travel to Galle to witness the international musicians who will be performing. 

However tickets will be sold for the concert, with the profits made going towards the Small Grants component of the Music Cooperation activities in 2016. These small grants are offered on a competitive basis to musicians who are involved in conducting musical programs at the grassroots level in schools, among the youth, women or other targeted groups. These activities will also be a part of the musical festival programs.

Furthermore Classical Musician and Composer Lakshman Joseph De Saram revealed that a Pre Festival Concert will also take place on 13 May done by the Chamber Music Society of Colombo. 

“We will perform three string quintets by composers such as Mozart, Hayden and Anton Bruckner at this concert,” stated De Saram.