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Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Friday, 8 July 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Soundarie David Rodrigo and Sanjev Perera of Souls Sounds exchanging the MOU with DIMO Chairman/Managing Director Ranjith Pandithage
Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) renewed its partnership with Sri Lanka’s premier female ensemble, Soul Sounds, for another year recently.
Soundarie David Rodrigo and Sanjev Perera of Souls Sounds exchanged the MOU with DIMO Chairman/Managing Director Ranjith Pandithage at DIMO 800, Mercedes-Benz Centre. DIMO partnered Soul Sounds three years ago and thereafter has been a pillar of strength behind Sri Lanka’s all female group with their performances.
It was 12 years ago in 2004, when 20 girls just out of school, and their choir director realised that they shared one passion, one love: Music. Wanting to continue singing even after leaving school, they looked to their choir director for a solution. And thus saw the birth of Soul Sounds – a musical rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, directed by well-known pianist and musician Soundarie David Rodrigo. Soul Sounds is ranked with some of the most renowned choirs in the world.
Soul Sounds marked the transition from a school girl choir to an award winning all-female ensemble. As a school choir, they were the first to represent the country at the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eistedfodd in Wales in 2004 and were placed 1st runners up in the youth choir category, a distinction that no other choir has achieved at this competition to date. Since then, there has been no turning back.
They have released three choral albums on CD, the latest being in 2013. They have often been privileged guest performers at major functions of diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka, hence expanding their repertoire and singing in different languages. In 2015, the choir was blessed with the opportunity to sing for his Holiness Pope Francis during his visit to Sri Lanka.
What is special about the choir is not only are they passionate about music like their Music Director Soundarie David Rodrigo, but are also versatile singers to be able to adapt and sing any genre of music, from classical to pop, jazz to world music. The Exclusive sponsors for this very exclusive talented group is none other than DIMO and Fairway Holdings.
Under a CSR initiative, DIMO has come forward to facilitate Souls Sounds to help Shilpa Children’s Trust. This year Soul Sounds has been singing for various causes, including for the Animal Protection trust, and on 6 and 7 August, the group will put together a special repertoire of music from the ’90s – the show titled ‘Totally ’90s’ and will sing in aid of the Educational Program of the Shilpa Children’s Trust. Shilpa Children’s Trust focuses on assisting vulnerable girls and women to lead a life with dignity. Soul Sounds will be doing a special ’90s musical performance in August in aid of the trust. Shilpa Children’s Trust was founded in 1987, at the height of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Girls who have been neglected, abused, abandoned or displaced are brought to Shilpa by the Department of Probation and Childcare. They are nursed back to physical and mental health through counselling, various forms of therapy and their education is continued/imitated by enrolment in the nearby state schools.
