The Revelations Academy wins again!

Friday, 27 September 2013 00:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Revelations Academy of Performing Arts and Creativity, having won the Best Overall Performance for the Speech Festival, also emerged winners of the Best Overall Performance for the Music Festival at the Sri Lanka Festival for the Performing Arts (SFPA). The SFPA is organised under the patronage of the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, and conducted by the Institute of Music, Speech & Speaking Skills, affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech UK.

Five ensembles of the Revelations Academy became all-island winners at the finals, three of the groups having won Honours at the preliminaries including the Senior Choir that won the award for the Best Choir and the All-Female Choir that won the Best Overall Performance for their ecstatic rendering of “It’s Raining Men”. Other All-Island Winners of the Academy were performers of a variety of items ranging from songs from musicals to gospel songs/hymns to vocals, western solos, duets and trios. They are, Tharuka Jayaratnam, Cheran Jayaratnam and Shean Solomon (Best Vocal Performance Junior for their trio); Dhearthik Ponnusamy (Most Promising Candidate); Shyalina Muthumudalige, Tharuka Jayaratnam, Manik Rodrigo, Adalia Ananthan, Buddvi Senadheera, Diyana Fernando, Shean Solomon, Rometh Suriyarachchi and Rebecca Surenthiraraj for their solos; Shyalina Muthumudalige and Sashyani Rodrigo for their duet; and Tharuka Jayaratnam and Cheran Jayaratnam also for their duet. The Revelations Academy entered its students in 38 categories including the choir items, where a striking 84% of entries won distinctions or higher grades. The students were coached by Sanjeev Jayaratnam, Asanka Perera, Dilini Perera-Fox, Dharshi Edward and Rebecca Surenthiraraj. The Revelations Academy was founded by the multi-award winning choral group The Revelations which is directed by the head of the Academy, Sanjeev Jayaratnam. It is ranked seventh in the world among male choirs. This pre-eminent Sri Lankan acapella group made history when it was adjudged Champions of the 2008 World Choir Games in two categories. Along with its international exposure and unique artistry, the staff at the Academy is passionate about building a community of artistes. Being ardent fans of music and theatre, the Academy believes that anyone can be taught the performing arts by applying time, commitment and enjoyment to the practice. Pre-determined skills are not a barrier to gain entry into the Academy. They welcome anyone above the age of four, asking only for enthusiasm and dedication as pre-requisites. The Academy strives to create an environment that fosters fun and relaxation while honing new skills. “Our staff conducts classes in a manner that is conducive to developing life lessons such as building confidence, overcoming stage fright, communication skills and leadership qualities,” said the Revelations Academy Director, Sanjeev Jayaratnam. The Revelations Academy conducts classes in Singing, Voice Development, Drama, Art, Guitar and Drums. Members have the flexibility to choose to attend group classes ranging from junior to intermediate to senior, or arrange one-on-one sessions. Students of the Academy are privy to stimulating new challenges and opportunities to compete and perform in public. Quest for Friendship is an originally written and produced children’s musical that was staged to critical acclaim by the Academy. The Academy’s Senior Choir, in its very first international competition, won two silver medals in the Pop and Jazz and Gospel categories in Indonesia in 2010. Sanjeev Jayaratnam has coached the Platinum, Gold and Silver international-award winning Methodist College Choir, and the Visakha Vidyalaya Senior Choir which became the first government school choir to win an international choral music award. Get in touch with the Revelations Academy of Performing Arts and Creativity through email via [email protected] or by calling 0777 418 150.