I want the audience to feel the music
View(s):- Dmitri Gunatilake celebrates 20 years in music with a concert featuring songs from different genres
By Dilushi Wijesinghe
Dmitri Gunatilake: All set to share her 20-year musical journey with audiences. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Leading singer Dmitri Gunatilake will take the spotlight on August 24 at the auditorium of her alma mater, Bishop’s College.
Much effort has gone into this show titled, ‘From Now On’ – the concert marking 20 years in the performing arts industry along with ten years of her journey as a solo artist.
It has been a journey deeply felt and she hopes her audience would “more than anything, feel what I’m feeling with each song. I want it to be immersive, where they can move from sadness to happiness, sing along, and just feel completely at home,” she tells the Sunday Times.
The programme sees a blend of genres. There will be Sinhala classics, gospel, opera and more. She curates her selections with self-awareness, Dmitri says. “I get bored easily. I think, can I sit through this? Will it hold my attention? If not, it goes.” The flow matters too. Fast will follow slow, slow will give way to fast, and the mix will keep the audience engaged, she says.
With her development as a singer her repertoire has grown in ways she little anticipated. In 2022 she ventured into gospel, a genre she had not thought to explore. Later she sang in Sinhala for the first time, to an unexpectedly warm reception and a sold-out show.
While she is comfortable moving between genres that many singers keep separate, Broadway remains her personal favourite. “If I had the choice, I would be doing Broadway,” she says.
This month’s solo concert will be her sixth, but it carries an emotional weight as it features the choir she formed, and for the first time, she will sing alongside her sister. “I think I might cry the whole time,” she admits. The show will also be a way of honouring the teachers who shaped her musical life.
Sharing her musical journey, she recalls how “music was never part of the plan”. “I got into it completely by accident,” she laughs. At the time, her sister was the official musician of the family, serving as accompanist at her alma mater. It was her mother who noticed, or “complained”, as she says, that Dmitri was always humming or singing.
She then began training under her sister’s teacher, Ruwani Seimon. “Went there, refused to sing over a middle C, and started there,” she says.
Later, she trained under Menaka De Fonseka Sahabandhu, who introduced her to opera and classical singing, which gave her range and variety.
Returning to Bishop’s College, years after not just as a past pupil, but as choir director, she formed the senior choir Voce Omnibus, which held its first show last October. “It felt like a full circle moment,” she says.
Dmitri the mentor: The choir she formed
Dmitri is wary of calling any one event her defining moment. She prefers to see her career as a chain of connected milestones: her first solo show in 2015, performing with the Symphony Orchestra, founding the new school choir, and directing her first choir show last year. “It all adds up,” she says.
Challenges have been part of the process. Funding was a familiar hurdle. “Every artist struggles with it,” she says, appreciative of the strong circle of supporters who have stood by her.
Mentoring has become another thread in her career. She works with students whose ages range from eight to 60, adjusting to their shifting musical tastes. “One batch is all K-pop, the next is Taylor Swift. “I have to keep up,” she laughs. She is a strict teacher who insists on discipline.
As for advice to young singers, she offers one word: persistence. Her own first show was staged against advice, she says. “If it feels right, go ahead!”
Looking beyond the 24th, Dmitri hopes to focus more on singing and exploring original material. “It has been ten years. I cannot be doing the same thing over and over again,” she smiles.
Part of the show’s proceeds will go towards a childcare facility for differently abled children aged four to 16 – a cause she chose after seeing a notice in church. “If I can do something good with my voice, otherwise what is the point?” she says.
Tickets are priced at Rs. 3,000, with upstairs seating at Rs. 1,000 for students under 18. E-tickets and reservations can be made by contacting 071 893 5301, 077 401 0294, or 077 646 5171.
Searching for that next furry family member but couldn’t find one in your area? Hitad.lk has the solution with our extensive listings of dogs for sale in Sri Lanka!