Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa

Commemorating the 87th birth anniversary of the late Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa, an Opera Workshop and Operatic Music Concert by renowned Chinese Vocal Artiste, Prof. Yan Min Tao, Mr. Vinu Mindule De Silva and the Khemadasa Foundation has been planned for January 21 and 22

An Opera Workshop will be conducted at Ananda College on January 21 commemorating the 87th birth anniversary of the late Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa - popularly known as Master Khemadasa Organised by the Khemadasa Foundation, the workshop will be conducted by famous Chinese Vocal Artiste and University Professor, Yan Min Tao and Mr. Vinu Mindule De Silva. Prof. Tao is a vocal performance artiste, baritone singer and Director and Associate Professor of the Conservatory of Music at the Nanjing Normal University.
Participated by Khemadasa foundation an operatic music concert Bel Canto Concert - conducted for the first time in Sri Lanka - will be performed at the Lionel Wendt on January 22. Participations at both events are only on invitations. 

Prof. Yan Min Tao is a famous vocal educator, baritone singer, and the recipient of the “Advanced Singer” diploma from the Conservatoire Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. He has successively served as the Artistic Consultant of the French Opéra Maxi, the Deputy Dean of the Conservatory of Music of Taizhou College of the Nanjing Normal University, the Deputy Dean and Chief Director of Taizhou Song and Dance Theatre, the Director of the Music and Drama Department of the Conservatory of Music of the Nanjing Normal University, and as a master’s tutor. A winner of multiple international awards, he has directed and starred in many operas, plays and musicals, and has served as a judge for many international and domestic vocal competitions.

Internationally awarded Film Music Director, Composer and Contemporary Classical Pianist, Gayathri Khemadasa was educated in music at the Prague Conservatory and Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. In 2011, she was awarded with a Fulbright Professional Scholarship and became a visiting scholar at Wesleyan University where she began writing an opera on Phoolan Devi.

The Opera Music Workshop will be held at Ananda College Colombo 10 on January 21 (Sunday) and the Bel Canto Concert - conducted for the first time in Sri Lanka - will be performed at the Lionel Wendt on January 22. Organised by the Khemadasa Foundation, the workshop will be conducted by famous Chinese Vocal Artiste and University Professor, Yan Min Tao and Mr. Vinu Mindule De Silva

Prof Yan Min Tao

In 2015, at the Derana Film Awards, she became the first Sri Lankan woman to win a national award for Best Original Score with the film “Thanha Rathi Ranga.”
 The following year, she won the award for Best Music Director at the Hiru Golden Film Awards for the same film. In 2022, at the Ceylon International Film Festival in California, she became the first Sri Lankan to win an international award for Best Music with the film, “The Newspaper”. Two more additional awards followed in November 2023, at the Presidential Film Awards, where she won Best Song Melody and Best Music Director. Her choral piece ‘Freedom” based on a poem by Tagor, was commissioned and played by the choir of the University of Portsmouth in UK in May 2023.

On behalf of the Khemadasa Foundation, Gayathri was grateful for the invitation received to perform at the Concert. “We are privileged and greatly honoured to take part in the “Bel Canto Concert” organised for the very first time in Sri Lanka. We are ready to commemorate the 87th birth anniversary of late Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa in 2024. When we were invited to collaborate, we were delighted to volunteer our services to the project, as a way of enhancing the musical knowledge of the masses,” Gayathri, who is well-known for her creative music, said.

She explained that the Khemadasa Foundation was established with the intention of fostering musical talents, especially among the less privileged youth and children in Sri Lanka, and believes that they all will benefit from cross cultural activities such as the “Bel Canto Concert.”

“The foundation would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Vinu Mindula De Silva, for inviting us to perform at the event. A special word of appreciation goes to Professor Yan Min Tao and his 16 member team from the People’s Republic of China, for their hard work in organising what promises to be an enlightening and engaging experience. We also like to thank the China Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka and Walkers Tours Ltd, for their contribution and commitment, without which this event would not have been possible,” Ms. Khemadasa added. 
Started in 1992 by Premasiri Khemadasa, the main aim of the Khemadasa Foundation was to foster the musical talents of low-income youths; especially from underprivileged parts of the country. All training and courses offered to these students have been done free of charge.

Since its inception the foundation has trained hundreds of singers and musicians who have performed major compositions in Sri Lanka and abroad. Many students of the Khemadasa Foundation have progressed to become veteran performers all across Sri Lanka.
The foundation has maintained, from its founding, the mission to create an alternative vision for the nation; one which can generate a socio-cultural transformation and eliminate the barriers and animosity between the Sinhala and Tamil ethnic groups.  

Gayathri Khemadasa