Violin-Piano Duo Recital for a worthy cause Sulara-Johann join to perform rare classical recitals

Johann and Sulara

Sulara Nanayakkara

Violinist Sulara Nanayakkara and pianist Johann Peiris, both with extensive experience studying and performing abroad will come together for their maiden performance Violin-Piano Duo Recital, today, August 13 at 7 pm at the Lionel Wendt theatre, Colombo 7.

Interestingly the two young musicians have planned the programme with less-performed yet musically enthralling works of Western classical music including sonatas by Mendelssohn, Paganini and Hindemith as well as shorter works by Kreisler, Bloch, Debussy and de Falla. The selection demonstrates the range of emotional depth and versatility that is unique to this combination of instruments. 

Sulara Nanayakkara began his violin studies at the age of five under the tutelage of Lal Perera and further studied under the expert guidance of Lakshman Joseph de Saram and later on with Ananda Dabare in Sri Lanka. 

Sulara holds an Associate and a Licentiate Diploma for violin performance from the Trinity College of Music, London. In 2019, he also earned a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University in Philadelphia, USA. At Boyer, he studied violin performance and string pedagogy under Prof. Meichen Barnes and Dr. Eduard Schmieder and chamber music under Prof. Lambert Orkis. Furthermore, he participated in chamber music master classes by the American String Quartet, Harlem String Quartet, Takács Quartet, Dover String Quartet and the Horzowski Piano Trio, while studying in the USA. 

Sulara has had the opportunity to participate in master classes conducted by luminaries such as Prof. Gottfried Schneider (Professor for Violin and Chamber music at the Düsseldorf Musikschüle, Andrew Sherwood (Professor of Violin at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London), Leo Phillips (ex-Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra[LPO]),Stefan Milenkovich (Associate Professor for Violin at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Ashan Pillai (Professor for Viola at the ESMUC (Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya) and the Conservatoire Superior del Liceu in Barcelona, Stefan Jackiw (concert violinist) and David Kim (Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra)

Honorary Fellow award 

In 2021, Sulara was awarded an Honorary Fellow award (FAGM) by the Australian Guild of Music (AGM) in Australia, for his experience in violin teaching and performance in the United States and in Sri Lanka. He is also a lecturer and an examiner for the degree of Bachelor of Music at AGM, worldwide. 

Sulara is a Grammy Nominated recording artiste as the recording of the “Constant Renaissance” he was involved as a violinist was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, “Best Instrumental Composition” and “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella”.

While in the US, he appeared in concert halls such as the Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Temple Performing Arts Center, Rock Hall recital auditorium in Philadelphia and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in New York. 

In 2023, the Con Brio Foundation in India invited Sulara to adjudicate the violin category of the 13th annual nationwide competition held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts(NCPA) in Mumbai. 

Currently, Sulara performs as the Principal Second Violinist of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo. 

Colombo music scene 

Known to the Colombo music scene as a keyboardist and has collaborated on many musical projects ranging from piano-vocal recitals, chamber music, contemporary musical theatre and solo appearances with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, Johann Peiris has also performed in Europe as part of the Vianden Chamber Music Festival and has also been involved with the Summer Voice Festival at the Manhattan School of Music as a collaborative pianist. 

His principal teachers have included Ramya De Livera- Perera, Nathan Hess and Adam Tendler for piano and Sureka Amerasinghe and Peshali Yapa for flute and voice.  

Johann holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sociology from Ithaca College and New York University respectively where he also received further training and exposure to music. 

He has been involved in many musical productions most notably Cinderella, Fun Home and ‘I love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’. He has also collaborated on experimental music projects for festivals such as Colomboscope and directed music for independent video installations.  

The concert is for a worthy cause and it is organised by the Ceylon Fellowship of Service (CFS) Prithipura Home with all proceeds are in aid of the charity. 

Set up in 1962 as a boys’ home and started with four residents cared for by house mothers, the CFS Prithipura Home today is a home to 60 differently-able male and female residents of varying ages. Some have been there since childhood and are now past 60 years of age. The residents have been sent by the Courts from families unable to cope with their mental or physical disabilities or due to their social or economic reasons.  Prithipura is now their home for life.

CFS Prithipura Home is an approved charity under the Inland Revenue Act of 2017.

The Home strives to provide a caring and safe family environment, for the well-being and rehabilitation of the residents who need special care and attention. They are encouraged to develop any skills and interests they possess by attending activity classes provided by the Home.

However, feeding and clothing, mounting medical expenses of ageing residents, staff salaries, maintenance of the cottages and garden in good order etc. is a constant struggle for the CFS Prithipura Home specially considering the tough economic situation in the country. A small grant from the government and magnanimous support from the public allowed the volunteer Executive Committee to battle courageously. However, the Home found that this year, the donations received so far by way of Dana and in general were showing a marked decline when compared to previous years and the Violin-Piano Duo Recital which is organised as a fundraiser hopes to bridge the deficit in our finances.