A celebration of togetherness in song and music

The Merry An Singers will celebrate their 25th anniversary with a concert “The Music’s Always There”, that goes on the boards at The Lionel Wendt Theatre on December 17 and 18. The concert is a spectacular re-union of many past singers and entertainers including a few top personalities from the western and oriental pop world all of whom were past pupils of Mary Anne David.

Mary Anne began an illustrious career as a soloist soprano back in the 1970’s under the tutelage of Lorraine Abeysekera, who was Sri Lanka’s foremost soprano and singing teacher at the time. When Lorraine emigrated to Australia, she entrusted a group of 12 students in to Mary Anne’s care. Over time, Mary Anne’s own school of vocal music emerged and the Merry An Singers was born in 1981.

Her marriage to Andrew David in 1979 introduced another great talent in theatre and stage production which soon turned a Merry An Singers performance into a novel experience for theatregoers, where impeccable choral music combined with drama and dance probably for the first time in western theatre in the country.

Today, Mary Anne and Andrew’s son André helps run the school, taking on the vocal training of the children, whilst Mary Anne handles the seniors, with the aid of another senior ex-singer, Rapti Fernando. Classes take place at three centres; Colombo 3, Colombo 6 and Battaramulla.

Tickets are available at the Wendt.