The power of Art

Ishara JAYAWARDANE

"I believe in the power of art to shape and change our world," Founder and Director, Senses and Soul, Colombo Music Festival 2012 Haadia Galely said.

The epic and heroic musical journey continues, with the date of the Senses and Soul Colombo Music Festival fast approaching. For Haadia Galely and her team it will be a fruition of a dream which they have worked hard to accomplish. A dream which will soon be a reality - it is a story of friendship and courage.

"Senses and Soul, Colombo Music Festival 2012 will commence with the opening ceremony on August 23 and continue to full swing from 10 am to 11pm from the 24 to the 26.

It is a fast gathering momentum and you may be assured that this festival, the first ever of its kind to be held in the region, promises to deliver a superlative show worthy of the effort that is being put into the making of an overwhelmingly successful event," Haadia added. One of the biggies at this inaugural festival is the presence of four giants in the music/recording industry namely Sony BMG, Universal, World Wide Records and the "Fridge", Dubai.

"The presence of these international record labels is indeed a feather in our caps and will be a tremendous boost to our music industry which has so much untapped talent. This event will be the unparalleled meeting place of all musical genres, essences and forms ever to be showcased in Sri Lanka. Not only will diverse forms of music be heard, but the festival also involves workshop discussions and master classes which will be extended to students and professionals alike who wish to avail themselves of the opportunity that will be presented to them, setting a very high bar for such future events in this country," explained Galely.

Four days, 16 locations, 17 participating countries, over 100 artistes, 50,000 participants and a Global Audience! Waters Edge Sri Lanka will serve as the official festival village. This prestigious and lush facility on the outskirts of Colombo is estimated to draw 20,000 participants over the four days of festivities. The official youth park, Galle Face Green, is expected to be thronged by tens of thousands of enthusiastic and young- at -heart. The event venues are the Museum of Colombo, Sivan Kovil, Jetliner, National Performing Arts Theatre, Beira Island, Park Street Mews, Hotel Galadari, Taj Samudra, Navy Lighthouse Platform, Green Path, The Dutch Hospital, Lionel Wendt, The British School Auditorium, SLCB Auditorium and Nelum Pokuna.

Apart from the main event and its peripheral activities, Colombo Music Festival 2012 will support various causes and charities towards the greater good of our citizens and that in need. "We will focus on the deaf and visually impaired in Colombo and Jaffna, victims of chronic kidney diseases in the North Central region and 37 differently able children in the Eastern Province.

"The Final unbiased objective is to ensure that this festival will provide entertainment, knowledge, as well as opportunity, amongst others. Visitors and participants will witness Sri Lanka's best in their element. In the sphere of knowledge, we wish to create a bridge between artistes of different styles to meet and absorb information through workshops, discussions and master classes whilst creating opportunities to showcase our musical diversity to the world and invite companies and individuals to support artistes and their aspirations, in what can only be 'win win' situation."

Some of the Sri Lankan artistes are Stigmata, Billy Fernando, Sintonia, Iraj, Rukshan Mark, Dinali David, Bathiya and Santhush, Paranoid Earthling and Revelations.