 Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara and others arriving for the event |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an evening of classical music by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) at the Lionel Wendt recently to mark 75 years of Diplomacy.
The event - ‘International Harmony’ - showcased a mix of orchestral music from famous composers of the best Eastern and Western traditions to epitomise Sri Lanka’s longstanding and friendly relations with countries near and far. The music was performed under the batons of SOSL conductor Dushyanthi Perera, and Associate Conductor Nishantha Warnakulasuriya.
The concert was also in aid of a worthy cause - a celebration with a mission - to support donations for urgent equipment for paediatric neurosurgery to the Neurosurgical Unit of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children.
The concert left the audience enthralled, with music ranging from Leroy Anderson’s sparkling “Bugler’s Holiday” with the Trumpet Trio, to Bao Yuankai’s evocative “Dialogue on Flowers” to the iconic “Danno Budunge” and the grand “Pomp and Circumstance March” by Edward Elgar, as well as other exceptional scores from the East and West.
Soprano Dmitri Gunatilake held the audience spell-bound with Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen, and Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro. “The enthusiastic applause and praise that followed the Orchestra’s performance indicated an appreciative and engaged audience.
The universal language of music demonstrates that we are capable of transcending barriers and achieving harmony. The sound of the oriental flute melding with the western Orchestra to create a hauntingly beautiful melody was a poignant example of this ideal.
The SOSL is one of the oldest orchestras in South Asia, and in honour of the event and the humanitarian cause it seeks to promote, performed on an honorary basis to channel all contributions towards the Lady Ridgeway Hospital Neurosurgical project. The Foreign Ministry appreciated the contributions by the Diplomatic Missions, and well-wishers to this project.
The event was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, the United Nations and other international organisations in Colombo, representatives of Diplomatic Missions, Honorary Consuls based in Colombo, senior officials of the Foreign Ministry, SOSL chairperson Sharmini Wettimuny and representatives of the SOSL board of governors, and other guests and artistes.
