Providing opportunity to listen to music

The SOSL reaches out:

The symphony orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) performed the first concert of its 55th season to a packed house at the newly opened Musaeus College auditorium recently.

The concert, which commenced with Mozart’s well known Overture to the Magic Flute concert, featured French horn specialist, Aron Konzcei, from Hungary, who performed Richard Strauss’ French horn concert no. 1 with consummate ease and virtuosity. The concert culminated with Beethoven’s majestic fifth providing the audience with an evening of German masterworks, performed with ‘heroic musicianship’ as described by a member of the audience.

This concert was not merely an opportunity for the audience to enjoy masterworks from the orchestral repertoire but it was also a great effort by the SOSL to reach out to students from out of Colombo. The audience was informed by the Chairman of the SOSL, that as part of the orchestra’s commitment to share their music, students are regularly invited to attend the orchestra’s concerts in Colombo. On this night over 300 students, from universities and schools in and outside Colombo were in the audience on the invitation of the orchestra.

Particularly heartwarming was the invitation extended to the group of students, teachers and officials from Mullaitivu, who were in Colombo for the first time in their lives. Their three day visit to Colombo included many first time experiences that included a train ride and a film at a cinema.

In addition to this group, the audience was informed that a further 100 students were brought in from Galle, specifically to attend this concert. Many of these children too had never seen a symphony orchestra in live concert before despite being students of western classical music theory. Along with another 100 students from Musaeus College, the North and South students were given an opportunity to learn about the instruments of the orchestra and to interact with each other prior to the concert, in a session conducted by a member of the SOSL and Sri Lanka Unites.

This contribution, by the SOSL, to reconciliation and understanding was praised by many in the audience, who appreciated the orchestra’s programme to reach out to students in and outside Colombo. The SOSL was commended for its ‘excellent social and educational responsibility’ and for providing an opportunity for students to listen to music to which they have no other exposure.