Have we ever thought beyond cricket and sports in general when we think of recognition for Sri Lanka at international level?
From 1948 to this date, have the people of this country ever sat down to think about the potential in the international platform in bringing pride to Sri Lanka in the realm of arts (here we are not talking of privileged Colombo and the new fad of online mushrooming of overnight glamour based fame).
What is being posited here is a thought process that interlinks the intersecting of economic uplift, artistic excellence, passion, creativity and its seamless bond with a nation’s history, culture, tradition, innovation, invention, foreign income generation and the global humanistic connectivity with diplomacy, tourism, healing and peacebuilding at large in this unrestful world.
This is a discourse that has to be continued until a properly thought out national policy is created to mainstream art and artistes into the Sri Lankan economy. In this backdrop, this week, we focus on an independent initiative of one woman, embarked 20 years ago, in 2004 to pitch Sri Lanka’s choral talent internationally showcasing an all female choir.
Qualified as a lawyer, but dedicating her life fully to music Soundarie David Rodrigo has single handedly created one of the strongest cultural diplomacy routes. In the past two decades, she has helped bring pride to a nation desperately needing such recognition for its hidden talent. She and her choir Soul Sounds have to date showcased Sri Lanka through music in around 25 countries, won numerous awards in international music competitions, and embarked on special tours to sing for notable international figures, including Pope Francis.
20th anniversary
Among their most notable global achievements is winning gold at the prestigious World Choir Games known as the ‘Olympics of Choral Music. As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, the Soul Sounds choir will compete this year as well at the World Choir Games which is hosted by New Zealand in Auckland.
“When we started in 2004, we were struggling for funds to be able to represent Sri Lanka internationally. Twenty years later, nothing has changed,” she said, adding that they have not yet raised the needed monies to enable Soul Sounds to compete to maximum potential in this ten day event which commenced on July 10.
She was speaking at a special performance themed Soul SouNZ, conceptualised to integrate the Maori New Year, Dilmah Tea’s enthusiasm in assisting public endeavours that weave into many spheres including arts, culture, heritage, reforesting, nature conservation as well as responsible entrepreneurship. To help this choir raise funds by creating more awareness of their representation in July at the Choir Games, Dilmah and the New Zealand High Commission in Colombo collaborated to arrange a Maori culture infused choral performance of Soul Sounds at Dilmah’s business premises in Maligawatte. This is where Merill Fernando started his tea company around four decades ago, and the premises was re-launched last year as Genesis for use of Sri Lankans with progressive projects and social visions.
The event was conceptualised ahead of Matariki, the indigenous New Year of Aotearoa – New Zealand celebrated on June 28. Aotearoa is the Māori-language name for New Zealand used by the people of the land – the Maori before colonisation.
The Matariki New Year follows the lunar calendar and is based on the sighting of the Matariki star cluster also known as the Pleiades.
The stars appear annually in the night sky between May and July, representing the coming out of winter and the earth resuming its bounty.
The Soul SouNZ event was officiated by Malik Fernando, co-chair of MJF Holdings Ltd., and was attended by diplomats, music enthusiasts and business community members. Malik went down the memory lane and narrated the important role New Zealand played in supporting the promotion of Sri Lankan tea when Merill Fernando began his mission of taking the authentic taste of Lankan tea to the world. The Soul SouNZ performance at the Genesis centre was the first event graced in Sri Lanka by New Zealand High Commissioner David Pine who assumed diplomatic duties around three weeks ago.
Cultural diplomacy
Soundarie David Rodrigo said, “Of all the competing choirs around the world, we must be the only choir to officially be sent off by the New Zealand Government, driving home the point of how David Pine had kick started his diplomatic journey in Sri Lanka on a strong cultural diplomacy note.
The International Choir Games is an iconic world music event today and has its roots in the choir singer Günter Titsch organising in 1988 the first transnational choir competition with participants from Hungary and Germany in Budapest.
The World Choir Games website says, “The World Choir Games isn’t just a competition; it’s the global celebration of choral singing, often dubbed the ‘Olympics of Choral Music’. More than a contest, World Choir Games is a harmonious gathering that unites nations and cultures in a joyful blend of creativity, diversity, friendship, and peace. In a historic move, the 13th World Choir Games is set to grace Aotearoa New Zealand for the first time, turning Auckland into a hub of musical brilliance from 10 to 20 July, 2024. Expect not only competitive performances but also an Olympic-style parade, grand ceremonies, and enchanting evening concerts, showcasing the heart of choral artistry.”
The enriching one hour of the Soul SouNZ performance at Genesis reflected the above sentiments through the choice of tradition, indigenous culture, spirituality and entertainment focused music that communicated the ideal humanistic oneness of this world.
It also made it clear to every listener in the audience of the international excellence the Soul Sounds choir had honed in the past two decades, which enabled them to secure gold medals at the World Choir Games previously, competing with over 60 countries which had choirs of exceptional skill performing under different categories such as indigenous, folk and sacred.
Soul Sounds competes this year at the World Choir Games accompanied by Sri Lanka’s legendary dancer and traditional drumming expert Dr. Ravibandu Vidyapathi.
