Vetaran Musician Keerthi Pascual’s 2nd Manamala Hendewa concert will be held at the Nelum Pokuna Performing Arts Theatre on his birthday, January 29 at 6:45 p.m. Manamala Hendewa with its first rendition in 2019 has become a much-awaited event by the popular vocalist and musician Keerthi Pasquel.
Manamala Hendewa is probably Pasquel’s most successful performance to date. The music of this year’s show will be provided by a band led by Nalaka Saji Jayasinghe. The event will showcase the talents of various guest artistes including Chandralekha Perera, Nirosha Virajini, Samitha Mudunkotuwa and Dammika Bandara for duets.
The first performance of “Manamala Hendewa’” also took place in Nelum Pokuna and received a great deal of positive feedback and almost three years after his last solo concert, Pasquel is finally ready for his biggest show yet and ready to leave a lasting impression on his fans.
Trust fund for patients
Funds raised at Manamala Hendewa 2023 will go to a trust fund for patients in need and upgrading the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Apeksha Hospital by purchasing equipment and cancer drugs.
Pasquel sets out to put on a show, you can be sure that he›ll try something new, different, and outlandish. Numerous concerts featuring Keerthi, such as Keerthi Acoustica, Keerthi Unplugged, Tribute to the Legends, and Evolution of Music with Keerthi were hits and the theatre was full to capacity throughout the performance.
When asked about his inspiration to have a concert this year, Pasquel said, “There were a lot of issues we went through as a country in the past few years. People didn’t have the possibility or the mindset to get out and enjoy a concert. However, since the previous concert, I have had a lot of fans requesting another Manamala Hendewa, and I decided to have it on January 29 because of my birthday. I like to do something special for every birthday. I donated 550 violins for children islandwide last year. The year before, I funded the bone marrow transplantation units at Apeksha hospital and brought it up to eight units. This year, the funds raised by the concert will be used to set up a trust fund to take care of the patients of the Apeksha Hospital”.
Charity causes
Pasquel is no stranger to charity causes. Pasquel’s dedication to support the less fortunate has led to the formation of the Help Circles (Guarantee) Limited, a non-profit charitable organisation spearheaded by Pasquel himself. Individually and through Help Circles, he has completed many charitable projects.
The specialty of Manamala Hendewa concert according to Pasquel is that it is an exploration of all the various emotions evoked by the melodious songs Pasquel has sung over the years. “I am signing 28 songs and the concert will be separated into four segments based on the different feelings brought up by my songs. Amid the many talented artistes I am collaborating with for duets at the concert are my daughter and my daughter-in-law”.
We asked Pasquel if he likes collaborating with new artistes, he said, “I love working with young artistes. I have been in the judge board of Derena dream star for the past 10 years and here I work with a lot of young talent. The passion, the love for music is extremely refreshing. I love to stay updated with them. I have done several projects with them and the amalgamation of my voice with theirs has created a new fan base for me and it has been amazing.”