Avishka and Danushka; Brothers in action
View(s):The Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) will present a highly anticipated recital featuring London-based pianist and conductor Avishka Edirisinghe and award-winning cellist brother Danushka Edirisinghe. The concert, marking their Colombo debut as a duo, will take place on August 11th, 2025, at 7.30pm at the Goethe-Institute Hall.
Avishka Edirisinghe, a British–Sri Lankan artiste specialising in opera, brings a wealth of experience from prestigious institutions and companies. Holding degrees from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Music (RCM), Avishka has served as an Opera Pianist, Assistant Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and as an Assistant Conductor at Garsington Opera. His impressive resume also includes conducting the renowned Chineke! Orchestra in London.
Joining him is his equally accomplished brother, cellist Danushka Edirisinghe, currently a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) under the tutelage of Hannah Roberts. Danushka’s talent has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the May Mukle/Douglas Cameron Cello Prize, the Strings and Piano Duo Prize, and the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Prize upon graduation. In 2022, he clinched first prize at the Haslemere International String Competition, leading to a solo performance with the London Mozart Players. Most recently, in January 2025, he captivated a sold-out Barbican Hall as a soloist with the Britten Sinfonia.
The programme for the evening promises a diverse musical journey, featuring Beethoven’s Seven Variations on ‘Bie Männern, welche Liebe fühlen’, Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, and Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 7 arranged by Glazunov. The audience will also be treated to compelling movements from sonatas by Bridge, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich.
‘It’s a joy to welcome Avishka and Danushka home—two extraordinary talents whose artistry promises a deeply moving evening for Colombo’s chamber music enthusiasts’ said CMSC Artistic Director, Lakshman Joseph-de Saram.
This concert is not only a celebration of top-tier musical talent but also a testament to community support. As usual, all proceeds from the concert will directly benefit the CMSC Education Fund, helping to foster the next generation of musical talent in Sri Lanka. The concert is generously supported by the premium partners of the CMSC: Asia Securities, Baur & Co., and the Tokyo Cement Group and receives in-kind support from the Goethe-Institute Sri Lanka.
The performance is further underwritten by CMSC patron Malinee Jayasinghe-Peris and is dedicated to three special individuals in her musical life: Tori de Souza, Denzil Pieris, and Algy de Silva.
Unreserved tickets priced at a subsidised Rs. 2500/- will be available online at ticketsministry.com from July 15th.
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