Holiday season gala with Chamber Music Society of Colombo

Friday, 13 November 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) sponsored by Fairway Holdings will present its annual Holiday Season Gala on Saturday, 5 December at the Lionel Wendt Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the venue, from 16 November during box office hours.

The featured guest soloist will be Japanese born violinist Mika Nishimura, 1st prize winner in the 22nd ‘Citta di Barletta’ and student of Maestro Zakah Bron. A Zubin Mehta protégé and discovery, Mika is currently based in Mumbai where she holds master classes at the Zubin and Mehli Metha Foundation. She performs on a pristine Giovanni Francesco Pressenda violin, one of the finest Italian violin makers of the 19th century. She will perform one of the world’s most famous quartets of concerti by Antonio Vivaldi better known as The ‘Four Seasons’. She will also collaborate with artistic director and concertmaster Lakshman Joseph de Saram and Sulara Nanayakkara in the rarely performed J.S. Bach Concerto for ‘Three Violins’, BWV 1064R.

Excerpts from the traditional Christmas arc of G.F. Handel’s great oratorio, ‘The Messiah’ will be the featured choral work. The solo vocalists will include Anagi Perera (soprano) and Laknath Seneviratne (bass). The orchestra of the CMSC will be joined by The Colombo Philharmonic Choir, which will be conducted by Manilal Weerakoon, the choir’s director. Handel’s ‘Praise the Lord with One Consent’ from the ninth Chandos anthem and a selection of popular Christmas Carols for orchestra, chorus with audience participation will conclude this festive concert.