Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka and 48 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ha Noi, together with the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam, organized a classical music concert at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music on the evening of 23 June 2018. The concert brought together world renowned Sri Lankan and Vietnamese musicians representing the highest levels of musical professionalism and excellence.
Distinguished Sri Lankan musicians, Rohan De Silva, concert pianist, Tharanga Goonetilleke, soprano, and Maestro Dr. Lalanath de Silva, composer and conductor performed in the Friendship Concert.
They were joined by Vietnamese tenors Nguyen Anh Vu and Nguyen Tuan Anh, and the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO). The SSO is a newly formed professional orchestra which comprises both Vietnamese and eminent foreign musicians from 23 countries. The Music Director and Principal Conductor of SSO is Maestro Olivier Ochanine.
The programme featured several arias, including Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa’s "Shreya" from the Opera Agni, sung by soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke, Giacomo Puccini’s duet "O Soave Fanciulla' from the Opera La Boheme sung by soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke and tenor Nguyen Anh Vu, Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto with Rohan De Silva as soloist, a well-known Vietnamese song - “Bài ca Hà Nội” sung by tenor Nguyen Tuan Anh, a new overture "The Dancers" by Maestro Lalanath de Silva, and Mozart’s overture to his opera, the Magic Flute.
The Sri Lankan musicians and the SSO performed on a gratis basis. The concert was supported by the Sun Symphony Orchestra, Viet Nam Performing Arts Centre of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam, Pan Pacific Ha Noi Hotel, Viet Nam National Academy of Music and several Sri Lankan professionals and business personnel in Viet Nam and Sri Lanka.
The Embassy also hosted a pre-concert informal reception for a selected group of guests. The 700-seat Concert Hall was almost full.
There was a wide media coverage for the event with VTC telecasting several video clips from the event on evening news of 24 June.
