Namal was born in the remote village of Weerawila, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka. He was recommended to Sirima Jayasekera, founder of 'Symphony for a Child' charity, by Kushil Gunasekera, founder of 'Foundation of Goodness' as a brilliant 13 year old student, needing help to continue his studies.
Namal's life changed decisively, when Sirima arranged for his education through 'Symphony for a Child'. By the age of 16years Namal had achieved Ten Distinctions at 'O' level examinations and Three 'A's at 'A' level.
As help from 'Symphony for a Child' was open only to children under Sixteen, Sirima and her family, undertook to support Namal through his Higher Education. Namal entered the University of Engineering, Katubedde, Sri Lanka and gained a BSc Honours (First Class) in Civil Engineering in 2009. He then went on to winning a Scholarship to University of Western Sydney, Australia. In March 2013, he gained his PhD in Civil Engineering, winning two 'Special Awards' so far. The first being, the 'Australian Geomechanics Award 2013' and the second for 'Highly Commended Technical Paper among NSW Universities'.
Well Done Namal!!
'Sirima’s mission continues through beautiful sounds' by Gnana Moonesinghe
A charity concert ‘Symphony for a Child’ was presented by the AIDS Foundation of Lanka on June 29 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, under the patronage of the High Commiss-ioner for UK in Sri Lanka John Rankin.
‘Symphony for a Child’, an annual event in London since 1999, is a concept developed by Srima Jayasekera. The purpose of the programme is twofold: one is to give young artistes a platform to display their talents and two, is to channel the funds collected at these events to pre-nominated charities in Sri Lanka.
On the death of her husband, Sirima created the Brighty Jayasekera Endowment Fund. From this Fund she has been able to reach out to HIV positive children and children of families afflicted and or affected by HIV / AIDS to provide support for their medical, schooling and basic nutritional supplements. It is to Sirima’s credit that she has always chosen worthy causes to support. She has successfully won the patronage of a large number of individuals in their personal capacity as well as from the business community. Approximately three years ago Sirima gave a share of her profits to a blind school in Jaffna which was greatly appreciated by the people who were barely out of the war zone.
At 82, Sirima Jayasekera’s boundless energy spilt over to a highly appreciable level to make the event, “ Symphony for a Child” an enjoyable evening for the audience. The performers for the evening presented a varied selection that was greatly appreciated.
The concert started with Ravi Bandu Drum Ensemble” ‘Rhythmscape’ which was not only spectacular but was also beautifully coordinated amongst the large number of performers.
The three youngsters who participated were Sulara Nanayakara, violin, Joshua Asokan, piano and Rochelle Todd, vocal. Sulara and Joshua demonstrated their technical and artistic ability in no uncertain manner. The audience was delighted to find Sirima’s granddaughter perform with great confidence accompanied by Mary Anne David at the piano. Special mention is made of Rochelle because Sirima would now have confidence that her ‘interest’ will be carried through by another generation from her family.
All the other artistes need no introduction. Soundarie David, Tilanka Jayamanne, Asanka Perera, Merry-An Singers, Sureka Amerasinghe and the De Lanerolle Brothers are all professionals who have been performing for a long time to appreciative and enthused audiences both nationally and internationally.
Sirima has left for London to organise her next concert “Symphony for a Child” in The Regent Hall ,Oxford Street. The proceeds from this concert will be mainly in aid of The Children’s Unit of the Cancer Hospital, Maharagama. We wish her long life to carry on being a facilitator for artistes to entertain us as well as to continue her many charitable endeavours.
24th August 2014
Symphony for a Child (18) organised by Mrs. Sirima Jayasekera, where the artistes performed free for a cause, at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Sunday, 29th June 2014 in aid of AIDS Foundation of Sri Lanka
The different upcountry and low-country drumbeats rose to a crescendo as the RaviBandu Drum Ensemble began the show wowing the audience with innovative drumming techniques. The internationally-acclaimed drummers performed free of charge, along with all the other artistes of the evening.
“Symphony for a Child” is a series of concerts that has been held in London since 1999 to raise funds for health and educational needs of children in Sri Lanka. Founder Sirima Jayasekera first helped to enhance the facilities of the Children’s Unit of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital through raising funds. The proceeds were donated exclusively to the AIDS Foundation of Sri Lanka for the medical needs and care of HIV Positive Children and children of families afflicted and affected by HIV/AIDS.
After an introduction by Dr.B.J.C.Perera, the programme began with the drums. Next came Soundarie David Rodrigo who has performed both locally and internationally. She is a virtuoso on the piano and she played moving her fingers and hands to suit the tune. She later accompanied violinist Sulara Nanayakkara.
Tilanka Jayamanne then played the flute while Ashan Perera played the classical guitar. TIlanka has won several awards during a successful career and has appeared as a soloist in several concerts both in Sri Lanka and in the UK. Asanka Perera sings with “The Revelations” and this evening he sang a spiritual “Deep River” and the nostalgic “Some Enchanted Evening” from the film “South Pacific”. The “Mary Ann Singers” also came on stage but first came Rochelle Todd who sang solos accompanied on the piano by Mary Ann David. She first sang a New Zealand love song in Maori and then the popular “Someone to Watch Over Me” followed by the Andrew Lloyd-Webber hit “Wishing you were somehow here again”.
Sureka Amerasinghe specializes in playing the flute but is also a pianist, violinist and recorder player. She did research in New York in “Using Music in Conflict Resolution”. This evening she played the flute and then joined her ensemble in playing “Flutopia”. The evening ended with the De Lanerolle Brothers singing “I did it My Way” while the audience clapped and sang along. TO an Encore, they sang “Let Me Be There in your morning, let me be there in your night”.
Comments from the audience
Rochelle Kannangara: “It was a very nice show. It is nice to support a cause like this. The effort of the organizers is well appreciated.”
Sri Piyasena: “Good performance and they started on time. The show was well organized and adequate publicity was given.”
Janaki Fernando: “I liked the singing by the chorister Asanka Perera. The flute playing was also good. I am an Early Childhood Educator.”
Shoba Atureliya: “The concert was wonderful.”
Jacintha Fernando: “The show was good and it is worthwhile to help children in need.”
Manel Jayatunge: “The concert was of great quality. Sureka’s Flute Ensemble was superb and I also love to see male pianists. All in all, it was a good show.”
'SYMPHONY FOR A CHILD' Review By Shiranee Joseph De-Saram
‘Symphony for a Child’ Concert held in on the 28th of September featured an exceptionally talented eclectic group of musicians who did just that. They were indeed the messengers who connected people on this day for a worthy cause. This annual charity concert the 17th in the series was indeed one of the best and was held in London and was organized by Sirima Jayasekera a former concert pianist herself and ably supported by her family and friends.
She is a remarkable woman who has the gift of helping those who are less fortunate in the world. Sirima Jayasekera's determined fundraising efforts have changed the lives of many young children in Sri Lanka and is what is remarkable is her enthusiasm and indefatigable energy. She does not simply raise money, but gives her time and her heart to her projects.
One such poignant story is that of Namal Sanjeewa a boy from an extremely challenging socioeconomic background from a distant remote village in Tissamaharma in the south of Sri Lanka. Sanjeewa’s education was supported by the ‘Symphony for child’ funding until the age of 16. After which he was supported personally by Sirima and he husband Brighty. With a twinkle in her eye she states that they practically adopted him. From a very young age Sanjeewa was determined to succeed in life and strived hard to complete his education for he that knowledge and education would be stepping stones to a bright future. Following his graduation from the Moratuwa University with a first class honours degree, he received a scholarship to Sydney West University, and In September 2013 he was awarded a PhD in civil engineering.
Her son Shanthi read the poignant letter sent by Sanjeewa as Sirima was too emotional to read it out. This is ample evidence to support her commitment and personal connection she develops with the children she has helped over the yearssince the charity was founded in 1999.
Her fundraising efforts reach out to the most vulnerable and needy in society.The first concert raised over £4,000 for the Maharagama Cancer Hospital Children's Ward. This is the National Hospital for the treatment of cancer in Sri Lanka.
She also extends a helping hand to children from very poor families who would otherwise not be able to obtain specialist treatment as in the case of Chulani who was the first child who was profoundly deaf to have a cochlear implant in Sri Lanka in 2009.
In 2011 the proceeds supported Vaazhvaham, a school catering to the needs of 40 children with visual impairment. This school is situated in Chunakam, Jaffna in the north of Sri Lanka.
The 10th ‘Symphony for a Child’ concert was a memorial concert held in memory of her late husband Brighty and the proceeds went towards starting an Children's HIV/Aids Unit at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Angoda Sri Lanka a cause Brighty was particularly keen on supporting. The Children’s unit opened in 2009 and provides specialist in-patient care for 40 children.Current fund raising initiatives are to provide ongoing treatment and support for these children who would not have access to care and support due to the lingering stigma of HIV.
The 17th ‘Symphony for a Child Concert’ resonated with a cultural mix of music ranging from Western Classical music to jazz to traditional ethnic Sri Lankan dancing and music.
The highlight of the first half of the programme was the impressive performance by Aga Serrugo -Lugo.It was indeed a pleasure to watch and listen to this extremely creative versatile young musician. His own composition and improvisational solo ‘Misty water ‘showcased his musicality and individuality. His resonant vocal quality, intonation and dynamic expressions were most thought provoking and I truly enjoyed listening to him.
As clarinetist his rendition of Acker Bilks ‘Stranger on the Shore’ was memorable. His clarinet solo was very fluid, and the tone colour was exceptionally beautiful and evoked many a memory of this nostalgic piece.
The highlight of the second half of the musical programme was the impromptu for solo piano - Fantasie Impromptu Op 66 and Impromptu Op. 29 by Frédéric Chopin performed by the internationally acclaimed concert pianist Reiko Fujisawa,
Fujisawa’s beautifully poised performance demonstrated not only a virtuoso technique and skill but a natural musical elegance. The dynamic changes, interesting rhythmic features and tempo, melody and harmony combined with her smooth lyrical style were a total joy and an interesting experience.
Interspersed with the varied musical items was a visually pleasing rhythmic traditional Kandyan dance sequence by students of Kamalanganie dance academy. The concert ended with soprano Gaythrie Peiris -Patrick’s rendition of ‘The Waltz Song’ from Romeo and Juliette by Charles Gounod and finally the curtain came down on another ‘Symphony for a Child’ to the strains of ‘A perfect day’ by Carrie Jacob-Bond.
All in all it was memorable evening of music and I am sure, evoked many a memory for Sirima as well as the audience. Not only did the music connect the people but carried a message of hope and happiness to many children in Sri Lanka.
Sirima Jayasekera and her fundraising concerts ‘Symphony for Child’ have changed the life and touched hearts of many a child and amply demonstrates the fact that “Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” Pablo Casals
Saturday August 10th 2013
'Linking Hands and Hearts Through Small but Meaningful Action'by Gnana Moonesinghe
To create trust and inculcate a sense of inclusivity between the Tamils and the rest of the population, Sirima Jayasekera has opened a trail that would guide individual benefactors to find a niche from where they can contribute individually and/or as a collective to place the stepping stones to build and bind the nation together. The post war period has opened up a variety of opportunities for restoring friendship and interconnectedness among the communities and to proactively support the process of reconciliation in the North and the East. This is the only way to identify and strengthen the Sri Lankan nation as a multi ethnic plural society.
Sirima, wife of late Mr. Brighty Jayasekera, a former manager of the Bank of Ceylon in London, has lived with her family in the United Kingdom since 1968. While living in London, Sirima used her proficiency in music to give boys and girls lessons in piano. She later used these links with her students and the contacts she had made in the world of music to organize concerts and collect funds for her charity projects called ‘The Symphony for a Child’. The first one was held in 1999. These performances have become a popular event among the regulars who patronize the show; it has also become a date to be kept by those who love music. The artistes she worked with or who were her friends have become equally dedicated to Sirima’s vision of caring and sharing for those in need of assistance. To date they continue to give of their talent and time purely on a voluntary basis. The entire proceeds from the ‘Symphony for a Child’ are used to help needy children’s medical and educational requirements.
A former High Commissioner to UK requested Ms. Sirima Jayasekera to divest a part of the funds from the proceeds of the concert to help people in the North. Sirima unhesitatingly agreed. The concert was held on October 1, 2011, at Regent Hall, in London and the proceeds supported Vaazhzhzm, the school for children with visual impairment in Jaffna. She has made a calculated gesture to demonstrate that it is possible to breach the ethnic divide and become a player in the post war reconciliation process in the North.
A visit to Vaazhzhzm, made those of us who visited the place forget all our other concerns and just be happy to be with the management and the children of this school. There is no question that this is a praiseworthy cause to support considering the pioneering efforts that has gone into the establishment of the school.
Vaazhzhzm is situated in Chunnakam. There are boys and girls housed here and the institute is managed by a Director who is also visually impaired but who has nevertheless successfully secured two degrees - a General Arts degree and a Master’s in Education, a feat many with sight are not always successful in undertaking.
These children have been housed in different places, shifting from time to time as they lacked a permanent residence to house them. Fortune smiled on them when a charity organization based in UK called Tamil Orphan Trust donated the money to purchase the land (where they are in now) to build the Institute. The RRAAN organization helped the management to put up the basic buildings by 2002. Gradually they added on the other buildings to make up the magnificent Institute they are in today.
It’s beautifully laid out with spacious halls and living space and on the day we visited the place, the children were busy practicing for the following day’s celebrations in remembrance of the founder of the institute the late Ms. Annaluxmi Sinnathamby. She was the visionary who used her energy and resources to set up an institute to give the children a home away from home and some ‘light’ to what would have otherwise been unrelenting darkness. She had persuaded the parents of the visually impaired children to send their handicapped children to study in the regular schools using an enactment put out by the government 1972 enabling this procedure.
The Institute has 40 children, of whom a majority have been born sightless and some who have lost their sight during the years of conflict. But what was most heartening was to observe the cheerfulness of the inmates who were interested participants in the activities that were going on around them. They were not listless and moody individuals, which they could have been but for the dedicated service of the management and staff. The Director has a group of committed workers who appear to enjoy helping the children around them and no doubt their commitment contributes very much to the success of the Institute.
We were treated to a solo performance by one of the boys living in the school. It was truly a marvellous performance, a wonderful voice that we heard resonating with melody. He sang with joy as he was happy to perform in front of an audience; he sang as an empowered individual and not in any way as a handicapped person as some may have seen him.
We left the place happy about the choice that Mr. Siddarthan, the leader of PLOTE, had made for Sirima’s initial funding for the North. May the Director and his family be blessed with good health and more and more innovative plans for the future development of the welfare of the children under his care.
To Sirima we pay a special tribute. Although stepping into her 80th birthday on the 28th of this month, she puts many a young person to shame with her energy that seems to be inexhaustible. With great interest at bridging the ethnic divide, Sirima has planned and executed an entirely new project for this year. She, like many others, is convinced that however small the effort maybe it can be used to build trust and confidence amongst the people of Jaffna and contribute to the rehabilitation and reconciliation process.
Although the quantum of fund donated is not very large, it comes with a lot of love and concern for the people living in the North. These little driblets of financial support is meant to help in the healing of wounds of war and to make people aware that a large majority of the people outside the Northern Province care a great deal about their fate and would like to help in whatever small way they can to ease their difficulties. A sum of such small personalized effort will go a long way to gain the confidence of the people of the North, much more than the large scale funding that comes in without the humane touch. To say the least, her contribution at helping the immediate requirements of the needy, makes the search for distant Utopia irrelevant and surreal.
May Sirima be blessed with a long, healthy and peaceful life to pursue her noble goals.
January 29, 2012
"Symphony for a Child" for National Reconciliation
by Shiranee Dissanayake
"Symphony for a Child" as the name suggests, is an effort to make a difference in the lives of children through music. It is the name of a unique concert organized annually in London, which brings together renowned Sri Lankan as well as foreign musicians, to use their musical talents for the noble cause of making life better, more meaningful and rewarding for under privileged Sri Lankan children under the age of 16. The livewire behind this unique concept and exercise is Sirima Jayasekera, herself a highly accomplished pianist and dedicated music teacher, whose unstinted commitment and boundless energies have seen the staging of 14 annual concerts in London where she lives. The proceeds of all these concerts have gone to help improve health and education of the children of Sri Lanka.
This year however, "Symphony for a Child" took on an added dimension, more relevant to the times, as Sirima decided to hold the concert - the 15th in the series, in Sri Lanka. Organizing the concert in collaboration with the "Educate a Child Trust" (EACT) which aims to improve educational, living and working conditions of local families in Kalutara, Sirima who had visited Jaffna the last time she was in Sri Lanka decided to channel this year’s share of proceeds from the concert to the Vazhvaham School for the Visually Impaired, in Jaffna, where the children are still trying to recover from the rigours of terrorism and effects of a protracted 30 year war. Supported through sponsorship and service by a dedicated group of open minded Sri Lankans from all communities for the purpose of making this event a success, she decided to extend the hand of love and concern to our brothers and sisters in Jaffna as a symbol of commitment to national reconciliation, which is the crying need of the hour.
And so at 7.30 p.m. on 18th May 2012, the curtain opened at the Bishop’s College Auditorium to showcase not only the musical talents of privileged musicians, but also to give the strong and forceful message that it is time to forget old grudges and feelings of resentment and help rebuild our country by summoning the support and confidence of all communities who have hitherto felt that they were neglected and/or marginalized.
The programme opened with the much loved "Be my Love" (Sammy Cahn & Nicholas Brodsky) and "You’ll Never Know" from Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical Carousal, ably rendered by Dinali David soloist and lead Soprano of "Merry Anne Singers". She was accompanied on the piano by Mary Anne David.
The highlight of the musical programme was a piano recital by internationally acclaimed concert pianist Reiko Fujisawa, who flew down to Sri Lanka on the invitation of Sirima Jayasekera, to adorn the first part of the programme with Ludwig van Beethovan’s Sonata Pathetique Op. 13, Fantasie Impromptu Op 66 and Impromptu Op. 29 By Frederick Chopin, the technically challenging Mephisto Waltz No 1 by Franz Liszt, ending with Rimsky Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble Bee.
Fujisawa’s overall highly polished performance demonstrated not only a virtuoso technique of range and power and a natural musical gift, but also an individuality of style and interpretation which was indeed an enriching experience.
The second half of the programme featured flautist Sureka Amarasinghe accompanied by Reiko Fujisawa who played three works - Badinerie by J.S. Bach, Sicilienne Op 78 by Faure and Fantasie Brilliante – from Carmen by Bizet. Sureka’s dexterity on the flute which was amply demonstrated in her performance has been internationally acclaimed when she won the centenary travel grant scholarship which enabled her to study at the Royal Schools of Music London. Additionally being a Fulbright Scholar at Mannes School of Music New York, doing research on ‘Music in Conflict Resolution’ adds a new dimension to her approach to music.
We saw a very promising young performer in 12 year old Kavishka Paranavithana on violin with Dulee Paranavithana at the piano. His very zestful performance of Czardas by V. Monti was indeed a treat to listen to as he flitted through it with such ease and confidence.
It was a refreshing change to the programme when Dinushka Jayawickreme and Shehara Liyanage teamed up with Soundarie David Rodrigo at the piano to treat the audience to a duet of soul sounds. This twosome who have had concert tours in France, Austria, India, China Kuwait and Malaysia obviously enjoying trying out different styles of singing. Their soul sounds duet rendered with a style of their own was certainly a refreshing listening experience.
This was followed by another flute performance by Thilanka Jayamanne accompanied by Kamalini Casiechetty on piano. This versatile young law graduate who excelled in music both at school and university gave a sensitive rendition of Philippe Gaubert’s Fantasie which was a pleasure to listen to.
When Kulendran Jegatheesan a self taught inmate of Vazhvaham School for the Visually Impaired in Chunnakam came on stage to present his vocal solo in Tamil, accompanied by his friend on the organ, it was clear that the commitment of Sirima Jayasekera towards national reconciliation went far beyond just collecting money in distant Colombo and donating it to a cause in Jaffna. She had invited one of the beneficiaries of this concert to participate along with the other artistes who volunteered to take the time off from their busy schedules to perform for the cause of national reconciliation. The effect of this act of love and caring became evident when to the surprise of everyone present Kulendran started singing a Sinhala song that was not in the programme which he had learnt memorized and practiced for this purpose. Poignantly the song spoke of "what I’d see if I had eyes to see"
When the song ended the message was loud and clear. Those in the North genuinely appreciate the sincere efforts of the South towards love, sharing and caring. And genuine efforts of reaching out and acknowledging the kinship we share, will no doubt pay rich dividends in promoting future peace and prosperity for all.
As the programme came to a close with the ever popular singing duo the De Lanerolle brothers, I was left with the thought that there was a lesson to be learnt from this exercise. It would serve those who claim to work towards national reconciliation well, to take a leaf from Sirima Jayasekera‘s book and realize that personal contact, commitment, sincerity and genuine concern are the vital ingredients necessary to trigger a positive response in any exercise conducted in the name of national reconciliation.
June 9, 2012
'An emotional evening to remember'
Review of Symphony for a Child held on May 18 by Mano Chanmugam
A privileged capacity audience were enthralled by a concert with a difference on May 18 at the Bishop’s College auditorium. The music ranged from the virtuosity of Reiko Fujisawa, the talented Japanese pianist to the soul stirring vocal renditions of a young man from a home for visually impaired in Chunnakam – Jaffna.
The enchanting evening was the 15th in a series of concerts titled ‘Symphony for a Child’ – the other 14 were spread over the years at the Regent Hall in London. This charity is the creation of the indefatigable Sirima Jayasekera, whose tireless efforts over the past 12 years have benefited a number of deserving young people in Sri Lanka. This concert was her way of saying ‘We are one nation, we are all Sri Lankans’. With this foremost in her mind, with the help of Mangala Munasinghe, she was instrumental in getting Reiko Fujisawa from England.
Dinali David’s powerful voice with Mary Anne David’s masterful and perfect collaboration on the piano was a refreshing start to the rather long programme to follow. The gross electronic amplification of the delicate Yamaha Grand Piano lacked subtlety and had some disastrous moments that the accomplished pianists had to undergo throughout an otherwise excellent evening of music.
The internationally acclaimed Japanese pianist seemed slightly unnerved by the amplified sound of the piano when she began her recital with Beethoven’s Pathetique – added to her misfortune was the disturbing applause after the 1st Movement. She however accepted this imperfection when she continued with Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu Op 69 with masterly precision and soulful interpretation of the melodious slow movement. The lesser known Impromptu op 29 was also executed with clarity – but Reiko’s brilliant virtuosity was really showcased in one of Liszt’s most magnificent short compositions - The Mephisto Waltz No1 – My own comment was a loud ‘Bravo’. Her well played Encore was Rimsky Korsakov’s brief finger twisting Flight of the Bumble Bee.
The voices of Dinushka Jayawickrame and Shehara Liyanage with the musical genius Soundari David Rodrigo collaborating on piano carried us to a mystical world with their electrifying rendition of ‘The Prayer.’
Sureka Amerasinghe’s ecstatic flute performance climaxed with yet another fantasy – Bizet’s Fantasie Brilliante from Carmen. Twelve-year-old Kavishka Paranavitane with sister Dulli helping on piano played Monti’s virtuoso Czardas with maturity well ahead of his years.
The night of fantasies continued with a flautist with brilliant stage presence and ‘flute flair’ Tilanka Jayamanne joyously entertaining us with Philip Gaubert’s Fantasie ably assisted on piano by Kamalini Casie Chitty.
Sirima’s dream for ending our diversity was satisfied to perfection when the soulful voice of Kulendran Jegatheesan from Vaazhvaham School for visually impaired in Chunnakam, Jaffna stirred the emotions of all present singing in Tamil and then in Sinhala.
The ever popular Lanerolle Brothers sang a fitting finale to the programme where Sirima through ‘Symphony for a Child’ has donated all profits to the Chunnakam School and Dr. Premila Senanayake’s deserving Kalutara charity ‘Educate a Child Trust.’
'Symphony for a Child: Making a difference through music'
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu
“Symphony for a Child” is a unique annual charitable concert that has happened in London for the past eleven years, mainly due to the warmth and generosity of spirit, boundless energy and commitment of one woman Srima Jayasekera – a former concert pianist and music teacher.
Held at Regent Hall in the heart of Central London, the concert has brought together a number of distinguished performers including most of the Sri Lankan musicians living abroad who have excelled in their art. Over the years Rohan and Druvi De Saram, Rohan de Silva, Gayathrie Pieris and Sujeeva Hapugalle have been amongst the artists who have gladly played their part in the “Symphony for a Child”.
The idea for the “Symphony” sprang from Srima’s determination to help enhance the facilities of the Children’s Unit of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital following a visit there over a decade ago. Scrupulously audited and distributed at every concert, all proceeds from the Symphony – except for the hire of the hall – go towards the improvement of the conditions and opportunities for Sri Lankan children primarily under the age of 16. Accordingly, institutions as well as individuals have benefited from the proceeds of the “Symphony for a Child”.
The first concert, attended by over 250 people raised over 4,000 pounds sterling for the Children’s Unit and since then “Symphony for a Child” has raised 2,000 pounds sterling for the Unit, annually.
The proceeds from this year’s concert will be donated to Ward No. 2 of the IDH in Gothatuwa, Angoda for children with HIV and other serious paediatric conditions. This ward was opened on May 14 in memory of Srima’s late husband Brighty a former manager of the Bank of Ceylon in London and a great source of strength and support to Srima.
She also gratefully acknowledges the support of Drs. B.J.C. Perera, D.D.A Wijewickrema and Anura Senanayake in this initiative. Amongst the children whose lives have been changed by the “Symphony for a Child” are Nuwan Maduwagaruge and Chulani Umayangana.
In 2005, Nuwan then a 13 year old, was horribly injured after falling into a pit of burning coconut shells whilst chasing a cricket ball. With the help of the “Symphony for a Child” he was warded for a year at the Apollo Hospital under the care of the Indian specialist Dr. Panesar. Having recovered reasonably well, Nuwan was able to return to school.
In 2006, Chulani aged 6 and born deaf and dumb had her first cochlear implant in an operation performed by Dr. Kaneswaran from India, at the Durdans Hospital. The operation was a major success – Chulani can hear, she attends school, is trying to talk and continues with speech therapy at Durdans.
Yet another life that has been changed, decisively and deservedly, by the “Symphony” is that of Namal Sanjeewa. Namal, a son of poor parents from Weerawila in Tissamaharama was recommended to Srima by Kushil Gunasekera. Even at 13 – his age when Srima first encountered him – Namal wanted to be an engineer. Srima concedes that she had doubts at first and cautioned him about the commitment and hard work this would entail.
Namal however dispelled all doubts, obtaining 10 Distinctions at his O/ Levels and 3 As at the A /Levels. With the help of a further years tuition in English, Namal entered the University of Moratuwa for a four year degree course ( English Medium) in Civil Engineering. As he was over 16 and Symphony Funds were restricted to essential material and equipment, Srima’s family helped with his board, lodging and daily expenses. Every year on the course, Namal obtained First Class passes and he has just completed his BSc. in Civil Engineering (First Class). He has been placed on the Dean’s List with a score of 3.99 out of a possible 4.2.
Special mention must also be made of violinist Thushani Jayawardena whose association with the “Symphony for a Child” was based on a recommendation by the well – known Sri Lankan pianist Sujeewa Hapugalle. Impressed by her talent after seeing a video of her performing at the age of 13, Srima and her husband Brighty gifted Thushani a return ticket to London and the opportunity to study in London.
Thushani stayed with Srima and Brighty and through Srima’s good friend Jonathan Hill secured an audition with Prof. Howard Davies of the Royal Academy of Music. With funds from the “Symphony for a Child” Thushani did classes with Prof. Davies, entered a number of competitions at which she won prizes accompanied by Neil Hatton, a friend of Srima’s. Unfortunately, she did not reach the standard required for a full scholarship to the Royal Academy and returned to Sri Lanka enriched by her experience in the UK.
This year’s “Symphony for a Child” will feature artistes from various backgrounds who share a common characteristic of excellent potential and accomplishment. The programme will range form Western Classical music played on the piano, flute, violin and cello to vocal duets and solo tenors to traditional Kandyan drums, the Murathangam, Jazz Piano and Rhythm and Blues.
The programme in this respect sustains the tradition of Symphony concerts of variety in the choice of the music as well as in the age of the performers.
“Symphony for a Child” is about excellence and accomplishment irrespective of age or musical discipline. Above all, this remarkable initiative that has been sustained for over a decade with love and commitment, is about opportunity and about making a difference for children, their lives and futures.
9th August 2009
'Where music and children combine' by Tara Coomaraswamy
Tara Coomaraswamy speaks to Sirima Jayasekera whose ’Symphony for a Child’ concerts have provided a musical bouquet for Lankans in the UK and raised funds for deserving charities back home.
Where in London would you hear musicians of high calibre performing in an ambience which is cosmopolitan, yet with a distinctly Sri Lankan aura about it? Where Sri Lankans and non-Sri Lankans can meet and mingle, have an enjoyable evening's entertainment, sample Sri Lankan culinary treats - and know that all the while they are helping bring a little more enjoyment into the lives of dozens of children as well?
For over 15 years, Sirima Jayasekera has been using music to raise funds in the United Kingdom for children's charities in Sri Lanka. Her well-known "Symphony for a Child" concerts have provided an annual musical feast for an international audience in the UK, featuring a range of talented musicians, both professional and amateur, Sri Lankan and non-Sri Lankan. Sirima's background in music makes her well qualified to organise an event of this nature. A former concert pianist who trained in Sri Lanka and was recommended for a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she was an A+-grade listed broadcasting artiste for Radio Ceylon (as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation was known formerly) and performed on programmes for the Overseas Service of the BBC. She holds the LRSM (London), ATCL (London) and LTCL (London), having secured first place in all three examinations. She is a member of the ISM (International Society of Musicians) and EPTA (European Piano Teachers' Association).
Sirima with Brighty: The 10th concert was dedicated to his memory
In 1968, she went to the UK with her husband, John (or "Brighty," as everyone knew him), who had been appointed Manager of the Bank of Ceylon branch in London. Their four children ranged from five years to 13 years at the time. For 15 years, Sirima combined performing with a full time job at British Telecom Standards and Metrication Department and bringing up her two boys and two girls. No mean feat, but she dismisses this as all in a day's work! Sadly, in 1978, after an operation on the carpal tunnel of her left hand went wrong, she lost a degree of sensation in her fingers and was unable to continue playing seriously. She began teaching music part-time, as she had done in Sri Lanka. After retiring from BT in 1986, she took to teaching piano full-time and became involved in several music bodies and committees.
She was also involved with the Sri Lanka Women's Association in the UK (SLWA) and served on the Committee for nearly 30 years, becoming, successively, its Secretary, Treasurer and President. It was for the SLWA's Scholarship scheme that she first began organising concerts, which she did for several years. She retired from the Committee in 1997.
However, she was soon on the concert trail again. While on a trip to Sri Lanka, she was deeply affected by a visit to the Children's Ward of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital. The courage and cheerfulness of the children moved her to tears. She decided to do what she could by helping to buy drugs which were needed to improve their chances of recovery or at least to make their lives a little happier while they were in hospital.
This was how the first "Symphony for a Child" came into being, in 1998. Pianist Sujeeva Hapugalle told her of a conveniently located venue, the Regent Hall in Oxford Street, which turned out to be perfect for her purpose. Sujeeva, whom she has known from her latter's student days in London, also agreed to play for the inaugural "Symphony for a Child," as did the internationally known de Saram brothers, Rohan and Druvi, and singer Gayathrie Pieris.
The first concert, attended by over 250 people, raised over £4,000 for the Maharagama Children's Ward. (Since then, "Symphony for a Child" has raised an annual sum of £2,000 - over Rs.400,000 - for the ward. She is grateful to Dr. B.J.C. Perera, who took on the responsibility of purchasing the drugs on her behalf.) The next year was even more successful, so Sirima decided to give some of the proceeds to Mother Teresa's Home in Moratuwa. Year by year she added other charities, and by the ninth year (2006), she had nine charities on her list (coincidentally raising exactly £9,000, including donations). That was a particularly successful concert, with a sell-out crowd of over 400 people.
The projects she has supported have ranged from helping to provide meals and shelter to people in some of the most deprived areas of Colombo, to replacing pianos at a Matara school hit by the tsunami. I asked her on what basis the charities were chosen. "Sometimes they are charities I know personally; sometimes people write and recommend a charity and I look into it. I visit them all myself, either before or after a donation is given. I try to find the most deserving cases, which are doing good work and need more support. I have even given money to individual children for a particular need. For example, two years ago, a case was brought to my notice of a boy who had been badly burned; he had not received attention quickly enough at a hospital and had healed badly, so that he needed a skin graft operation which his parents could not afford. Our contribution helped to pay for this operation, and he has since recovered well."
"Occasionally, I have given a scholarship to a clever child - like one little girl who was a tsunami victim. She was just nine years old, but quite brilliant. Hopefully, the money we gave her will go some way towards helping her to achieve her potential In 2005, the year after the tsunami, all the funds raised, apart from the money for Maharagama - which we support every year - went to children who were tsunami victims. I personally made sure the money was distributed to schools in all the parts of the country which had been worst affected: Trincomalee, Amparai, Galle and Matara. The children were drawn from all communities and religions: Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Anglican, Catholic - I don't differentiate amongst them in any way."
I commented on the fact that on every seat at her concerts, together with the programme, is a copy of the audited accounts for the previous year. She said firmly: "I don't want people to wonder where their money went. I get the accounts properly audited by a Sri Lankan accountant who has kindly offered to do it free of charge as his contribution to the effort. Frankly, I think I get the response I do each year because people know exactly what's happened to the money we raised. The only expense incurred is the hire of the hall. All other expenses are met by family and friends."
A pleasing feature of a "Symphony for a Child" is the mix of young performers and more experienced ones, amateurs and professionals - though some of the younger ones already seem to have several years of performing experience behind them. A remarkable pair of sisters who had performed in last year's concert: Makoto and Asagi Nakata, aged only 13 and 12, on the violin and piano, respectively are studying at the Royal Academy of Music, probably destined for great things. Sirima recalled: I try to give talented youngsters a chance to perform, especially because the concerts are in aid of children. The youngest performer I have ever had was Harry Bradford, a boy soprano; he was just seven!"
“Another wonderful aspect of the concerts is that, after nearly twenty years of organising them, I now have the second generation playing for me, and sometimes even whole families of musicians. For example, apart from Satsuki and her daughters, I have had Druvi de Saram and his daughters, Mandhira and Radhika on piano and violin; Rohan de Saram and his son Suren, who played the xylophone; Reiko Fujisawa, who is a brilliant pianist, her husband David Hirschman, who is Principal Viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and their 13-year- old son Christopher, who plays the violin and is a Music Exhibitioner at St.Paul's School; Danielle Salomon and her teenage daughter Hannah, who plays the cello; and so on."
Another characteristic feature of Sirima's concerts is the mix of genres, styles and instruments. Western classical music predominates, but she has also made room for popular ballads, songs from musicals, Jazz and Oriental music. "I always try to have something from Sri Lanka; over the years we have had Kandyan dancing, Sinhala folk ballads and popular songs, Bharatha Natyam and Carnatic music. I was always willing to try something different, as for example, when I asked Gemma Moseley, who performs in musical theatre and pantomime, to sing favourites from Broadway musicals; she was a big hit, and has performed regularly since then."
In fact, this is what one enjoys about Sirima's concerts: one minute you are rapt in a Bruch Violin Concerto, the next, clapping along to Bill Wither's "Lean on Me" before your blood pressure starts racing to keep up with a bravura performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee”. It returns to 120/80 after a gently swinging version of Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me”. But this is the lull before the storm: soon ominous fanfare-like strides announce the "Montagues and Capulets" (from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet"), to be followed by the pyrotechnics of the "Rhapsody in Blue" or the "Warsaw Concerto”.
After a sentimental vocal rendition of "One Day When We Were Young" and "Goin' Home", you emerge into the lobby, where, before "goin' home" yourself, you can stock up on mouth-watering Sri Lankan "short eats," chocolate cake and iced coffee! Sirima's family have given her total support in putting on her concerts. Her eldest son Shanti introduces the proceedings and keeps a watchful eye all evening; her daughters, Keshini and Arundani, and her other son Sudantha help with other aspects of organisation. Her daughter-in-law Gita makes most of the delicious food. And of course, Brighty provided moral support and advice.
Sirima had been planning to hold a 10th Anniversary Special in 2007. Sadly, Brighty passed away in March 2007, while they were on holiday in Sri Lanka. They had been married for 53 years. It was decided to hold the 10th "Symphony for a Child" concert in his honour. 50% of the proceeds went towards starting a Trust Fund for Children in his memory at the Children's HIV/Aids Unit at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Angoda, which Brighty had thought was particularly worth supporting. It was a memorable evening. All Sirima's staunchest supporters, amongst both performers and members of the audience, were there. Sujeeva Hapugalle had flown in especially from the United States alongside stalwarts such as Gayathrie Pieris and Jonathan Hill, who both have an unbroken record of ten "Symphony for a Child" concerts. Gayathrie and Sujeeva paid personal musical tributes to their "Uncle Brighty": Gayathrie sang his favourite song, the Sri Lankan Cradle Song, by Norman Corea, and Sujeeva played his favourite piano piece, Liszt's "Liebestraum”.
One can see that Sirima deeply misses Brighty, and the love and support he always gave her. After he died, she spent some time with her children in the UK, then moved back to Sri Lanka. She now divides her time between Sri Lanka and the UK. When in Colombo, she lives in a flat close to the beach, and enjoys the warmer climate and the sea breeze, but is still looking out for charities which need help.
The 11th "Symphony for a Child" concert, to be held in October this year will, no doubt, be as successful as in past years, thanks to the dedication and hard work of this remarkable and selfless woman, who keeps the Sri Lankan flag flying in the UK in more ways than one.
27th April, 2008
