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Tuesday, 21 June 2011

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Tugging at heartstrings



 Natasha Nathanielsz

The melancholy harmony breathed out by plucking the finely tuned strings of the instrument, resonated a sense of beauty and freedom. It traversed through the air, playing at the audience’s heartstrings. All eyes were drawn towards the young and vibrant musician as she sat lost in the splendour of music.

Starting her alliance with music as a vocalist Natasha Nathanielsz has excelled in the field as a gifted harpist. A student of the McDonald College of Performing Arts in Australia and a graduate of the Western Sydney University, Natasha had been an all rounder, trying out her hand at many aesthetic fields like drama, dancing and painting before settling on music as her lifetime career.

The 23-year-old had delivered a number of performances in Australia and had even played at the Galle Literary Festival at the beginning of the year and is now looking forward to a performance at Alliance Francaise de Kotte’s Fete de la Musique which will unfurl at the BMICH on June 22.


 She had tried her hand at drama, dancing and painting before settling on music.
Picture by Rukmal Gamage

“I will be performing with about seven musicians at the event. I will also make a surprise guest performance with a friend, so expect the unexpected,” Natasha revealed with a mischievous smile.

Though her parents, Mario and Bernadine, are not professional musicians Natasha says that an artistic cord runs through the family. “Some of my uncles and aunts were vocalists. My grand uncle, Dillfordes, was a renowned musician and my grandfather owned a handloom business. I hardly had exposure to music as it was my extended family that had a talent for the art. My mother noticed that I had rhythm in my blood because even as a baby I used to move my body to music. She sent me for dancing classes when I was three. I learnt ballet at the Deanna School of Dancing,” Natasha explained. While schooling at Asian International College, Natasha took to playing the piano. It was a self learnt process. She had left Sri Lanka at nine years and flown to Australia to pursue higher studies in her chosen stream.

“I began writing poetry during my early teens. The themes were mostly based on social issues and commentaries on emotions. I write most of the songs that I play on the harp. They are on a variety of topics from folklore to my own experiences,” she noted.

Queried on what drew her to the harp Natasha said that it was its ethnic and blissful melody. The Harp is a beautiful instrument, one that many people admire, but fear they will never be able to play. However according to Natasha it is one of the easiest instruments to get a tune out of. It is a very forgiving instrument for beginners because even playing simple pieces sounds pleasing. Often referred to as an instrument with a ‘heavenly’ sound, learning the harp is much more of a joyful experience than a tedious task. “Invest on a lap harp. With less strings, this will allow you to get a feel for the instrument. Many simple songs can be played on it. You play the bass by the left hand and the melody by the right. You can self learn or if you are serious about taking up harp music as a profession go to a qualified teacher. Learn the ‘building blocks’ of music and features like the scales and fingering techniques.

Discover your own style. When attending an Orchestra concert keep an eye on the harp. Watching and listening are great ways to get acquainted with the instrument,” she advised adding that there is a certain way in which you ‘pluck’ the stings with the pad of your fingers. All fingers and thumb could be used except for the little finger. “I have also done studies on music therapy. Music is innate in every person. It is not just a song or sound, it is all around us like in a birdcall, the wind or the ocean. Even the deaf feel vibrations. People with physical disabilities are sometimes advised to play instruments because it is a stress relieving technique,” Natasha said.

She had tried her hand on electronic music and is working on a CD. The album will comprise seven songs and will be released next year. You can listen to some of her pieces on www.myspace.com/nathanielsz and www.soundcloud.com/natashanathanielsz. Having taken up contemporary dance like jazz, hip hop and African, Natasha had shown her moves in some projects with Senaka Abeyratne. However her dream is to become a recording artiste and performer as well as establish a healing centre where arts, ayurveda and yoga can be used to heal the soul.

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