Remembering Ru: Tribute concert for Ruwani Seimon

Among many other things, Ruwani Seimon is remembered as passionate and defiant: Passionate about the things that mattered most to her — family, her children, her students, and music; and defiant amidst all the challenges life dealt to her.

10 years have passed since Ruwani succumbed to her battle with cancer, but for her students, the many memories they shared remain vivid. It is the best of these memories that they, collectively known as Voices in Harmony (VIH), wish to relive once more in a tribute concert that would make their beloved ‘Miss Ru’ proud.

After around three months of practicing, VIH eagerly anticipates bringing ‘Remembering Ru’ to the stage of the Bishop’s College Auditorium on 18 November.

Putting together a concert reminiscent of those directed by Ruwani is a daunting task, and to ensure that everything is up to her high standards this is, in every sense of the word, a group effort. “We formed a core committee of people who would supervise production aspects,” says Trudy Herft, a senior member of VIH. Miss Ru’s son Dhanuksha is the music coordinator; Dmitri Gunatilake and Asanka Perera are our choral directors, and Priyan De Livera is our production manager. Imani Perera and I look into coordinating the choir and assist in getting the needful done.”

It has been 10 years since the group last performed together — “It feels like we’re reliving moments over and over again,” says Trudy. It’s surreal and nostalgic, and we honestly never thought we could experience something like this ever again. It’s a blessing.”

Although VIH has not had the opportunity to perform together for a long time, many of its members have continued to nurture their love of singing and music, and Ruwani is never a distant memory whenever they meet. “The idea of a tribute concert came about in 2016,” recalls Trudy; “when we realised that the following year would be the 10th year since her passing, we didn’t hesitate. We started making calls, forming a committee and thereafter contacting most of her past pupils and now have 50 participants in total. There are so many people contributing in different ways. Several are overseas but they keep in touch on a daily basis and really wish they could be a part of this. We are extremely thankful to all those people who stepped forward to participate and Miss Ru’s Mom, Aunty Indira, for supporting us to make this a reality. We would also like to thank TNL Radio, our Radio Sponsor”.

The last time they performed together they were, for the most part, a group of school-age students and young adults. Now they are all adults juggling careers and families. “We’ve had to be realistic about the process of organising practices and coming up with a schedule that works for everyone,” says Trudy. “It can be challenging, but it’s also such a breath of fresh air and a break from the real world. A typical three-hour practice session sees us going back in time to those days when we just sang and worried about nothing but singing in harmony and having fun. We have a blast and we really do feel Miss Ru with us. After all, this is for her.”

Amid the camaraderie and good times, a significant part of this experience for VIH is also remembering the unwavering commitment to perfection synonymous with Ruwani, who had perfected the art of being equal parts teacher, mentor and friend. “We really want to do her justice,” says Trudy, adding that the 70-minute repertoire to be performed will feature some favourites from her past performances, such as a Gospel medley, Disney classics, the best of Broadway musicals and a popular Sinhala medley arranged by her, among others. “These, we feel, are the songs and medleys that truly celebrate her: The ones she loved directing the most. We always try to think about what Miss Ru would do —how she would want something sung or interpreted. She always had such charismatic energy and taste. She lived and breathed every note. Our choral directors do their best to maintain this flow and pick up where she left off, so to speak.”

‘Remembering Ru’ will take the boards of the Bishop’s College Auditorium on 18 November at 7 p.m. Tickets, priced at Rs. 2000, Rs. 1500, Rs. 1000 (reserved) and Rs. 500 (unreserved), are now available at the auditorium office (011-2391265); proceeds from the show will be donated to Cancer Care and patients in need.