Pradeep Ratnayake is engaged in an effort to give a new identity to his sitar – a Sri Lankan identity which can hold its own in the international world of music.  His experimentation and research have given him the ability to shake his instrument out of its traditional context and give it a new soul.  
He has been nurtured and nourished by many cultures, but has as his foundation, melodies of his country which he weaves into the heart of most of his compositions. His original compositions, are seeking a new sound, are seeking to take to the world a music that is both Sri Lankan and international. 

In his music, as you hear melodies taken from the folk songs of his people or from the complex and rich tradition of dance in his country, you will also catch strains of other music traditions of the world, like the classical, jazz and the rock, for in all he has managed to find a beauty that inspires and unites.  
His concert series, Pradeepanjalee, which he began in Sri Lanka in 1997, is now associated with prestigious international venues,  with greatly successful concerts being given at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva; the prestigious Asia Society, New York; The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Washington D.C.; The Walt Disney Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and Vienna Musikverein, Austria.  International audiences have given standing ovations to Pradeep and his band of musicians – recognizing the world- class musician for what he is.  No.1 artists in America like Freddie Ravel on piano and Eric Marienthal on saxophone have played with Pradeep at the Pradeepanjalee concert at the Walt Disney Theatre

Trained at Santiniketan, India, in classical Hindustani music, having obtained his Master of Music in 2003 with a First Division pass, and excelling as a classical sitarist, Pradeep is now engaged in an effort to expand the limits of the sitar and reach new horizons.  In this quest, he draws inspiration from classical Indian music, the variety and melodiousness of Sri Lankan folk tunes and the rhythms of local percussion as well as from the world of Western music. 

Since returning from Santiniketanm India, with a BMusic degree in 1997, he created his own series Pradeepanjalee, and have given ten concerts to date – the sixth being given to celebrate the 54th Anniversary of the Republic Day of India, sponsored by the India-Sri Lanka Foundation and the eighth by the United States – Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.  (The other concerts were sponsored by The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, The Hatton National Bank, The Muslim Commercial Bank, The Deutsche Bank (a special concert for their clientele), The South Asia Partnership, Coca Cola and the inspired artist Niloufer Pieris.)

In the concerts in Sri Lanka, Pradeep begins with a classical Indian raga, to pay his respect to the great tradition which created him.  He then proceeds to his own style of playing, which fuses the sitar with the cello, the violin, the piano or the saxophone; and has as its accompanied the drums of Sri Lanka and India as well as the more traditional tabla.  This is what caused distinguished artist Tissa Abeysekera to call him “The most exciting musician to come out of Sri Lanka for the last three decades”.

He has thus created an alternate music scene for music lovers of this country and indeed for the world, which is being exposed to a new Sri Lankan music.  Pradeep Ratnayake  received an Award at the National Music Festival for services rendered to music in Sri Lanka in 2001.

Pradeep is one of the rare artists who perform as well as compose.        Among Pradeep’s compositions is Indrakeelaya  – a symphonic tone poem commissioned by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for its 50th Anniversary celebrations.  It was performed at the ceremonial opening of the New Headquaters Building of the Central Bank in 1999.

Pradeep Ratnayake’s work in films started with acclaimed film director Dr. Lester James Pieris’s Wekanda walawwa (Mansion by the Lake), the choice being made after the world-renowned director listened to the Compact Disk of Ratnayake’s  Indrakeelaya. Wekenda walawwa was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and Ratnayake was nominated for best film music director at the “Sarasaviya” Film Festival that year.  His next film was Mage wam atha by young and innovative film director Linton Semage.  This film went on to become the first Sri Lankan film to enter the competitive section at the Locarno Film Festival that year.  Again Ratnayake was nominated for best film music direction at the “Sarasaviya” film festival that year.  His third film was Boradiya pokuna by Sathyajith Maitipe, who had worked with Ratnayake before for his television feature film Smarana samapthi.  Though yet to be shown in Sri Lanka, this film was screened and awarded as well in international film festivals.  Pradeep Ratnayake’s fourth film is Salinda Perera’s Dheevari.  In his film music, Ratnayake continues what he does as a performer, fusing many traditions of music together, in an innovative and creative fusion, always keeping in mind the needs of the film and the director. 

Lalanath de Silva, an Associate Conductor in the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, composed the Sitar Concerto inspired, according to the composer, by the virtuosity of Pradeep Ratnayake.  This concerto, where Pradeep is the soloist, has been performed jointly by the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka as part of the joint 50th Anniversary celebrations of the two countries, both in Bombay (Tata Theatre) and in Colombo.  It was last performed in February 2004 in Bangalore as part of the International East-West Music Festival, where Pradeep performed as soloist backed by the Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra.

 

Pradeep Ratnayake’s compositions are available in compact disk form.  There are three up to date: Indrakeelaya, Roots and Visva.

He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka.