The musical journey of Sulara
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Full Name : Sulara Ferdinand Upeshala Nanayakkara
Age : 21
Alma mater : Jennings International College
Sports : Cricket & athletics
Training : I trained violin under Lal Perera at the age of 5 and later with Lakshman Joseph de Saram, and at present I am training under the expert guidance of Ananda Dabare.
Awards won
· Associate and Licentiate Diplomas in Violin Recital from the Trinity College of London (ATCL, LTCL)
· Gold medals and All Island awards for TEN consecutive years (2001-2010) at the Sri Lanka Festival of Music, Dance and Speech by the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music
· Awarded the “Scholarship Winner Trophy”, and obtained the Award for Best Violinist in 2007 at the Sri Lanka Festival of Music, Dance and Speech by the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music
· Won Special trophies for “Best Strings Performance” in 2007, 2008 and 2009, by the Sri Lankan Festival for the Performing Arts (also affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance & Speech UK).
· The island-wide winner of the “Intermediate Violin” category, in the 2006 edition of the bi-annual Young Musician of the Year competition. (Organised by the Institute of Western Music and Speech)
Life’s biggest achievement so far : Touring UK and attending a Master class by Gregory Lynn – (a First violinist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra). I was also able to play in a British orchestra called the Sidcup Symphony Orchestra in London.
Life’s motto : In life you face all different kinds of situations, with happiness and sorrow.
But each time you see a challenge, don’t give up. Just go ahead to your target thinking “ I WILL I CAN”.
Idols : The living Heifetz, James Ehnes and the Sri Lankan Violin Virtuoso Ananda Dabare.
Today we meet Sulara, a very young ambitious individual who is aspiring to become a well-established musician in Sri Lanka. Owing to the fact that his family members are very senior music personalities in Sri Lanka – (Manik Jayasekara (mother) and Cyril Jayasekara (grandfather), we can definitely say that music runs in his blood. At the tender age of eight, having won his first ever music competition, Sulara was able to mesmerize his audiences with his skills with the violin.
I met Sulara for a chat..
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Out of all the instruments in the world, why do you love the violin?
This instrument was gifted to me at the age of 5 by my grandfather, and I didn’t know what it sounded like at the beginning. But as time passed by I liked the sound it produced. The instrument itself is so beautiful, and the sound is so sweet and tender and really expressive. When I heard the sound of it, I liked it … and I think my first teacher, Lal Perera, taught me with much care to ensure my interest in it didn’t diminish. If you have the passion to play the violin you can play it even more expressively and emotionally. And there is so much to experiment, different techniques and styles. That’s why I like it a lot. I am sure it’s as communicative as a human’s voice. Because the true mission of the violin is to imitate the accents of the human voice. It was called the king of instruments by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow.
Does Sri Lanka provide a good platform for young musicians like you?
First I should say that there are so many talented young musicians here in Sri Lanka who are as equally talented as the young musicians abroad, but it is up to them to take it forward, develop and bring their talent to a higher level. And nowadays there are so many opportunities for young musicians.. For an example - the younger musicians who are instrumentalists and who want to improve their skills in performing can join the Junior Symphony Orchestra which is a very good platform for them.
Do you think you are the best violinist in Sri Lanka? How do you feel about your position in the music industry?
Of course not… There are better players than me. It’s difficult to say where my position is. But I should say that I have learnt so many things from this music world. One very important thing that music has taught me is that, everything in this world is connected. Very simply, it is impossible to decide on the speed of a piece of music without first knowing deeply what happens to the individual constituents – Harmony, Melody, Rhythm, etc. – in relation to each other; it is also very wrong to decide to play a piece in a particular way simply because someone else plays it that way (In other words, it is wrong to judge any situation without analysing the facts; it is also wrong to agree on something simply because someone else says so!). After I realised this, I started to apply it to my way of life, and now I’m certainly more aware of what happens around me.
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What is your long term plan? Are we looking at a future music teacher?
Music is something that I love to do and never get tired of doing. And at present I teach at a renowned music school in Colombo and work as lecturer for Violin at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. I would love to perform and do many recitals. So…obviously it means that I would love to excel as a performer and at the same time to spread my knowledge about music to the younger generation and inspire them to come to love music the way I and all the dedicated musicians do! So.. I do perform onstage as a First violinist of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and The Chamber Music Society of Colombo. I am a member of the String Quartet led by my teacher Ananda Dabare. I am so passionate about music, and aspire to play the violin as best I can. I hope to keep learning as much as possible about music and performance, so that I would be able to communicate to my audiences what I have learned and give them at least a bit of the immense joy I receive from music.
What is your advice to aspiring violinists?
The violin is indeed a lovely instrument which is high in demand. To be honest it is not an easy instrument to play at the beginning, you have to go through a hard time to perfect the technique and the art of violin playing. The younger generation should always make an effort to practise daily and develop skills. And regular practice helps them to experiment and always keep up to date with various techniques, genres and styles. Thankfully, I don’t detest practising! I’ve never really had to force myself into practising; and I’m thankful – more than anything else – that it is so! I do want to elaborate on the fact that “Practise makes perfect”.
Are there any notable people in the industry you dream to do a joint performance with?
Yes! There are so many I would like to collaborate with. If I name a few they would be Eshantha Peiris and Ananda Dabare. Internationally there are artists as well, who I would like to work with someday.
Interview & pics by Jayantha Fernando
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0 Comments
Shannen Piyona says:
Jul 30, 2015 at 12:00 amProud of you brother.