Join Dinushka Jayawickreme and Shehara Liyanage, soloists from ‘Soul Sounds’ on Wednesday the 10th of Febuary at 7.30pm at the Lionel Wendt for a spectacular concert in aid of the Tiny Stars preschool and daycare center which hopes to complete a new building for the school. The Tiny Stars preschool was set up to help low income families in the Dehiwala - Mount Lavinia area to help children get a firm foothold into the Sri Lankan education system. There is also an after school daycare program which allows mothers from struggling families to work and help to support the family. Struggling to find a continuous flow of funds is a problem in addition to having to pay rent for the building, leaving the school with no choice but to live with a leaky roof which leads to flooding, crumbling walls and the constant fear of rats. 

Both Dinushka and Shehara are stellar soloists, expert under the guidance of Musical Director Soundarie David Rodrigo are sure to put on a stellar show with Dinushka, a soprano with operatic range, having wowed audiences with her performances as Mother Abbess in the Workshop Players’ production of The Sound of Music and as prima donna Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera. Shehara has enthralled many with her performances of pop and jazz pieces with her versatile voice and has been singing with Soul Sounds for the past 12 years. She is also known for her work at Yes FM where she is a radio personality. Musicians backing the duo and choir are Soundarie David Rodrigo at the piano, Christopher Prins on Drums and Dhanushka Seniviratne on Keyboards along with two other special guest appearances. Be sure to attend the event which will have a little something for everyone and help contribute towards the education of those who need it most. 

Following is an interview with soloist Dinushka Jayawickreme and Musical Director Soundarie David Rodrigo who both had some interesting things to say about the show. 

Dinushka Jayawickreme 

What can we expect from the show? 

Well the show will be quite unique in the sense that we think this is the first time in SL that a female singing duo are doing a show of this nature. We have been working hard to make sure that the repertoire is as versatile as possible so as to cater to a wide spectrum of people. In doing so we have pushed our personal singing boundaries as well! 

What is special about the Tiny Stars Pre-School and Daycare as a cause? 

The Tiny Stars Pre-School is a very good initiative that is giving children the opportunity to learn from a very young age. It is essential that children have a solid education in their formative years, and unfortunately most children in our country are denied that due to financial constraints. This is why we are so happy to help such a worthy cause. 

What is your favourite genre of music? 

I am a connoisseur of a wide range of genres, my favourites being Gospel, Swing, Jazz, Classical, R&B Soul, Pop and music that represent different cultures, like African music and Latin music. 

Soundarie David Rodrigo 

What can we expect from the show? 

The show is something different, because Dinushka and Shehara, have been founder members of Soul Sounds, and have been there from the time the senior choir of Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya competed at the Llangollen International Musical Eistedfodd in Wales way back in 2004. In fact their first performance as a duo was whilst still in the school choir for a carol service. Since then, we have seen these two bring the house down whenever they perform as a duo, no matter which part of the world they have sung in. Recently in South Africa when they performed as a duo, they got a standing ovation, and this prompted them to do a full show together. Soul Sounds is proud to present them as a duo, and I am proud to have worked with them over the last 12 years and watch them grow and mature into the lovely voices they have today. 

What is special about the Tiny Stars Pre-School and Daycare as a cause? 

This show is different in the sense that it would be the first time a female vocal duo would be presented at a show, and that too singing repertoire from different genre's. So there is something in it for everyone. 

What is your favourite genre of music? 

My favorite genre would be Western Classical, but that is because I am a western classical pianist. That being said however, I do appreciate other forms of music, and for Soul Sounds what works best is usually Gospel music. 

By Upeksha Hettiarachchi