Dinesh Subasinghe

Dinesh Subasinghe (born 10 July 1979, Colombo) is a Sri Lankan composer, violinist, and music producer. He composed Karuna Nadee, a Buddhist oratorio, and re-introduced a lost, ancient musical instrument known as the ravanahatha (violin) to Sri Lanka. He is also a film and television composer whose works integrate western and eastern classical music with electronic music, Buddhist music, folk music, traditional orchestral arrangements, and world music genres. From 2002 to 2009 he led the pop classical band, Dee R Cee Members.

Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1979, Subasinghe studied at St Peter's College, Colombo and Maris Stella College in Negombo. He began playing music at a very young age. He studied music under Samantha Amarajeewa, Janaki Disanayaka, Christal Luduwike, and Patrick Master at his school and in the city. He also studied with well-known professors of Sri Lankan music: B. Victor Perera, Mahinda Senivirathan, Kalani Perera,V.Hemapala Perera and Ananda Perera.

In 2001 Subasinghe started learning western classical music under Ashoka Jayawardhana, Hasini Halpe (daughter of Briget and Ashly Halpe) and Annada Dabare. Later they assisted Subasinghe in joining the Sri Lankan Symphony Orchestra.

Sri Lankan vocalist Angeline Gunathilaka and journalist Hemanalin Karunarathna (chairman of HTV) introduced him to the Sri Lankan media in 2001 and soon after he became a member of composer Stanley Peiris's orchestra. Subasinghe worked under the Sri Lankan composer Premasiri Khemadasa for eight years and led the orchestra for Khemdasa's opera Agni (2007–2008). From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of Sri Lankan musical groups led by Dumindu Kadigamuwa, Harsha Bulathsinghala, Janananth Warakagoda, and Dilup Gabadamudalige.

Khemadasa conducts Agni while Dinesh leads the orchestra

He began composing for television and film in 2004 when cinema director Chandrathna Mapitigama selected him to compose music for his television series Hummane. In 2009 he received a scholarship from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to study music under A. R. Rahman at the KM Music Conservatory in India. At the conservatory, he won the Best Student Award in the instrumental section for violin.

Classical music

Subasinghe has composed a Buddhist oratorio, Karuna Nadee, as well as a symphony, trio, sonata, two a cappella pieces, a string quartet, a concerto for trumpet, and a piece for viola, The Dance of Salome. His string quartet, Night Before The Battle, was selected by Joel Thome's Orchestra of Our Time from 100 compositions from the world. He has composed music for 75 Sri Lankan television series, 13 films, and 16 stage plays and has re-introduced the ancient instrument, the ravanahatha, to Sri Lanka.

Subasinghe was the first Sri Lankan to write a cappella pieces with Sri Lankan national themes for SATB choirs, including "The Princes of the Lost Tribe" for Menaka De Shabandu's choir and "Ancient Queen of Somawathee" for Bridget Halpe's choir. These works were based on historical incidents described in the Mahawansa. The style of these compositions uses harmonies and a sound which is different from Western classical music traditions.

Alternative rock music

Subasinghe led the alternative rock music band Dee R Cee and introduced rock music into several Sri Lankan television series. Later, he composed music for Hithata Wahal wimi and Sarangana, television dramas for Sirasa TV.

Subasinghe is the first rock violin performer in Sri Lanka to combine Asian music techniques with rock music. He performed at the 2011 Share the Love concert and on Rupavahini TV in February 2013 with the song "Ra Roo".

YouTube record

Subasinghe released an alternative-rock song "E Kale: The One" with Charmika Sirimanne and Ranushka Fernando in 2013, along with its music video created by Ranushka Fernando. It became the most viewed Sri Lankan music video on YouTube reaching more than 1.3 million viewers.

Musician, music director, actor

Subasinghe has played as a musician for local and international music directors and composers,IN 2002 Subasinghe recorded violin caprice to portrait Musila in Guthila balade play composed by Diliup Gabadamudalige.Guthila's violin has performed by Subasinghe's Teacher & a veteran violinist Kalani perera. Subasinghe worked for Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2005 as a Violinist. He was a member of the South Indian Cinema Musicians Union.

He has released four CDs: Rawan Nada, Feel My Heart, Sihina Wasanthayak soundtrack and Karuna Nadee. Dinesh worked with his former principal A.R. Rahman and Katrina Kaif on her CD Rhyme Skool with Katrina Kaif produced by Sa Re Ga Ma Productions in India in 2009–2010.

Subasinghe's first professional acting appearance was in Parapura by Cletus Menids in 2012. He performed a leading role on his music video E Kale: The One and played King Herod Antipas in the 2013 Paasku television series by Prem Fernando.

In 2014, his newly formed string quartet, Ravan, toured and performed at the Four Seasons Resort on Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives.

O'Connor Method Camp & AGBU

In 2015 and 2016 Dinesh participated in the O'Connor Method Summer Camp in New York which was conducted by well-known violinist Mark O'Connor. At the camp Dinesh impressed O'Connor and the participants when he performed American music with his Ravanahatha.

Dinesh participated an Armenian music program which was organised by AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) in 2016.

From 2002 to 2009 Subasinghe led the pop classical bands, Dee R Cee and Dinesh and Friends. The other members of Dee R Cee were singers Ranuka Sudam and Chandumal Samapriya. Their music encompassed multiple genres, including pop, alternative rock, cinema music, Hindustan classical, country and western, baila and 1970s music. Hemanalin Karunarathne invited Dee R Cee members to direct music for television programs on the Swarnawahini TV network including Hansa vila, Haa haa pura, Gee TV, and Christmas Night 2005. Dee R Cee members also appeared on Sirasa TV and Derana TV providing music for Looks Like, Auto Plus, Hansavilla, Mathra, and Christmas programmes in 2006 and 2007, and a Valentine's Day programme on Derana TV.

In 2007, Subasinghe introduced the ancient instrument the ravanahatha to Sri Lanka on his album Rawan Nada, comprising 12 instrumentals and background vocals. The ravanahatha (ravanhatta, rawanhattha, ravanastron, or ravana hasta veena) is a bowed fiddle popular in Western India. It is believed to have originated among the Hela civilisation of Sri Lanka at the time of King Ravana. The bowl is made out of a cut coconut shell whose the mouth is covered with goat hide. A dandi (neck), made of bamboo, is attached to this shell. The principal strings are one made of steel, the other made of horsehair. The long bow has jingle bells. It was believed to have been played by King Ravana and to be the first stringed instrument played with a bow. Subasinghe has proposed that the western violin evolved from the ravanahatha.

Ravana Nada is the first recording to include music played on the ravanahatha, although it had appeared in films as a visual item. On this CD Subasinghe performed with a slightly different version of the instrument. He also played it on A. R. Rahman's Rhyme Skool with Katrina Kaif, which was narrated by Kaif, and for some Indian Tamil movie music.

In addition to the ravanahatha, Subasinghe is reviving another ancient bowed instrument called the kingiri.

Since 2007 Subasinghe has tried to discover the similarity between the Ravan and the Kingri (string instrument). He has mentioned to the media that the instrument is discussed the book by Abele and Niederheitmann translated by John Broadhouse The Violin: Its History & Construction, Illustrated & described, From Many Sources published by William Reeves in London between 1900 and 1930.

In the same year he asked the Cultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abewardhana to have his staff research the history of the ravanahatha. He feels that it is important that Sri Lanka claim the rights for this ancient fiddle.

Subasinghe's version of the ravanahatha has been referred to by Michael Ondaatje the Canadian novelist and poet who won the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient. His brother, Sir Christopher Ondaatje, in an article on the ravanahatha, cites it as the mother of today's violin.

Subasinghe's Rawan Nada album set a record as the highest selling instrumental music CD in Sri Lanka. Released on the Tharanga label, owned by Vijay Ramanayaka, the CD was Dinesh’s first solo album and the first solo album using this historical instrument. It sold 16,000 copies between the years 2009 and 2015.

In 2010, Subasinghe composed Karuna Nadee (River of Kindness) an oratorio for chorus and orchestra based on the life of Buddha. According to the Sri Lankan newspaper The Daily Mirror, it is the first Buddhist oratorio and the first musical work based on Buddha's life and philosophy since Premasiri Khemadasa's cantata Pirinivan Mangalya, a requiem based on Buddha's Parinirvana. However, the American composer Dudley Buck composed an oratorio on the life of Buddha, The Light of Asia, which was first performed in 1887. Buddhist texts have also been incorporated into two other western oratorios, Somei Satoh's 1987 Stabat Mater and Jonathan Harvey's 2011 Weltethos.

The oratorio consists of 12 pieces of music and, according to the Daily News, is composed in "Far Eastern, Sri Lankan, Indian, and Western classical styles". It also includes a Buddhist chant in the background, as well as elements from Tibetan music and folk and pop genres. It was his first major work since coming home for a break from the A. R. Rahman Academy in India. Buddhist monk Athuraliye Rathana Thero and Negombo astrologer Ranushka Fernando contributed ideas to the conceptualization of the work. The work, with Subasinghe playing some of the music has been released on CD.

Subasinghe has composed music for 16 Sri Lankan Passion plays since 1999. His music for these plays combines a variety of styles and genres, including Gregorian chant, western classical music, Portuguese music, and Sri Lankan folk music. In 2000, Sri Lanka's Catholic Media Unit and Tower Hall Theater Foundation organised a passion play cultural programme at Negombo, where they assembled all the traditional passion play drama teams from all parts of the country. Subasinghe was appointed music director for the programme.

In 1999, 2000, and 2001, Sri Lankan dramatist, Peter Wellambage, Subasinghe and composer Jayantha Modarage, participated in the production of a modern Sri Lankan passion play, Kurusiya Matha Miyadunemi, performed in the Katuwapitiya and Bolawalana villages in Negombo. Subasinghe created the music for the passion play Aho mage senageni performed in 2003 and 2007 in Halpe, Katana near Negombo. It was directed by Alexius Fernando and used the traditional Oberammergau passion play costumes for the first time in a Sri Lankan passion play. He has since continued his involvement with the Aho mage senageni project.

In 2008, Subasinghe composed music for an audio remake of the 1970s Katu Otunna stage drama audio CD and Duwa historic passion play which is based on the story of Jesus and was directed by Clement Fernadao. All of the main folk tunes in this play were sung by the Sri Lankan vocalist, Nanda Malini. He included many western vocalists and choirs and classical musicians to enhance the Christian orchestral sounds with folk music. In 2012, 18 Sri Lankan cinema and television stars participated in the passion play Sri Kurusawalokanaya Thambakanda, which was produced by Pream Fernanado and directed by Peter Wellambage with music by Subasinghe. Jeewan Kumaranatunga played the role of Jesus. In 2013, Subasinghe composed music for the passion play in St Anthony's Church in Dalupotha, Negombo.

Subasinghe composed the music for the 2013 television film based on the life of Jesus, Jesu Christu Yuga Peraliya, produced by Prem Fernando. He also served as assistant director and script editor, and played the role of Herod Antipas. Jewan Kumarathunga played the role of Jesus while Ravindra Randeniya played Pontius Pilate. More than 25 Sri Lankan cinema and television stars participated.

Subasinghe participated in a joint Sadaham Sevana musical concert with Korea and India on 4 July 2011. He composed Mist of a Mountain, a tribute piece for Eastern Asia and has participated in many religious music projects around South Asia.

Dinesh has won the best music score at the 2009 Sri Lankan SIGNIS Awards for Siri Sirimal, a Sri Lankan television adaptation of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer,That was his first ever award as a Composer. and Sumathi Awards in 2012 for Pinsara Dosthara, a Sri Lankan adaptation of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Best Original Score Awards

Most Popular Movie Song Awards

Best Movie Song of the year

Special Awards

• Special Jury Award at the Light of Asia Foundation Buddhist Film Festival 2011 for the Buddha oratorio Karuna Nadee
• Merit Award at Sarasaviya Awards 2016 for Ho Gaana Pokuna.,
• TOYP Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Award 2016 for contribution to Sri Lankan Arts

• ^
• The Daily Mirror (14 January 2013). "Dinesh the magical musician". Retrieved 2 May 2013.
• Jayawardana, Ruwini (19 December 2012). "Dinesh takes a bow". Daily News. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
• "Sumathi Awards 2012". sumathiawards.lk. Retrieved 7 February 2015. 
• ^ Susitha R. Fernando (3 February 2016). " A Musical Revival in Lankan cinema" The Sunday Times Retrieved 3 February 2016.
• ^ http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=35259
• Susitha R. Fernando (Sunday 22nd May 2016) " Ho Gana Pokuna Clinches both best and popular Awards" The Sunday Times Retrieved 26 December 2016.
• 'Husna Inayathullah(Sunday, 05 June 2016).Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) (18 December 2016). "Glowing Acolades for Ho Gaana Pokuna".Retrieved 26 December 2016.
• http://www.hirugoldenfilmawards.hirutv.lk/award-winners.html
• Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) (18 December 2016). ‘THE 33rd Sarasaviya film awards 2016 culiminates with : A STAR-STUDDED NIGHT’. (Retrieved 26 December 2016).
• Daily News (19 December 2016). "The Crowning moment" . Retrieved 26 December 2016.

Subasinghe has composed music for 75 teledramas, 12 movie scores, 20 stage plays, 10 documentaries, 14 audio albums, etc. He has become the youngest composer to write 75 teledrama scores for Sri Lankan TV media. Subasinghe received the 2012 best music director Sumathi award for his creations in ‘Pinsara Dosthara’ becoming the youngest to receive the prestigious award in the award's 18-year history.