Amitha Wedisinghe


Amitha Wedisinghe, was a Sri Lankan singer and a music teacher. Her most popular songs are Senkadagalapura Dalada Budures, Adara Charika, Anothaththa Wila and Ran Dorin Enna Adaren.

Personal life

Amitha Wedisinghe was born on 22 March 1942 in Kirulapana, Colombo, Sri Lanka as the third of the family with four siblings. Her father Harry Wedisinghe, worked at the Government Seal Office and her mother Arlina Cooray was a housewife. She completed education from Sri Saddharmodaya Maha Vidyalaya, Kirulapana and Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda. She had one elder brother, an elder sister and a younger sister.
Musicians Dayarathna Ranatunga and Ananda Samarakoon were relatives from her mother's side. A personnel on the radio, D.M. Kolambage was also a close relative.
Wedisinghe was married to Victor Dalugama, who was a musician. The couple has two sons and one daughter.

Career

During school times, she acted and sang in the stage dramas Ramayana, Sakunthala, Sirisangabo, directed by her school's dance teacher Premakumara Epitawala. She also performed at the Sarabhumi Ballet concert conducted by Epitawala. Meanwhile, she studied music as a subject under the music scholar W. F. Wimalasiri and obtained an excellent pass in the Gandharva examination.
While performing in Ballet concert, her singing ability was identified by singer Rohitha Wijesuriya, who introduced Wedisinghe to maestro W. D. Amaradeva. Under his guidance, she made debut film background singing in the chorus singing of the song "Buddha Diva Karayano" for the 1962 blockbuster Ranmuthu Duwa. The other artists involved in the chorus singing are Narada Disasekara, Nanda Malini, Rohitha Wijesuriya and Nanda Jayatunga.
Ananda Samarakoon's brother Bertie Samarakoon regularly took her to the Ceylon Radio and involved her in various programs. Her maiden singing in radio came through the "Adhunika Peya" program in 1954. Meanwhile, she joined "Lama Pitiya" produced by Sarath Wimalaweera and performed under the guidance of Karunaratne Abeysekera, Alfred Perera and Madawala Rathnayake.
After completing education, she graduated with a diploma in singing and playing instruments from the Government Faculty of Fine Arts. In 1968, she graduated with a master's degree from Bhatkhande University, Lucknow, India. While in India, she got the opportunity to present a half-hour music program in Indian radio, featuring only Sinhala songs with P. W. Jayaratne. While studying in India, she returned to Sri Lanka and continued to work as an A-grade singer in SLBC. Her first radio song is Chandrā Bimba Māyāvayi Nuwan Purālā, which is written by Wimal Abeysundara and music composed by P. Dunstan de Silva.
During this period, she released three cassettes: "Supipena Malakin", "Mal Wæssak" and "Buddha Divā Karayāṇō". Later she released her first CD, "Anothattha Vila Gee" Collection. The cassette "Buddha Divā Karayāṇō" contained Buddhist songs, where the first tape was presented to the Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero.
After returned to Sri Lanka, she started to work for 20 years as a music teacher in several schools island wide such as: Weeraketiya College, Asoka Vidyalaya Colombo 10, Bulathsinhala Pimbura College, Panadura Pinwanna College, Panadura Royal College and her alma mater Sri Saddharmodaya College, Kirulapana. Later she became the Director of Education of Music Division for Kalutara Education Zone.
Apart from that, she also performed two solo concerts titled "Amitha Gee" and a singe concert titled "Anothaththa Vila" in 2015. As a background singer, she worked in the films: Abuddasa Kālē, Ranmuthu Duwa, Bāndurā Mal, Bakmaha Dīgē, Adarayayi Karuṇāvayi, Doctor Susanthā, Hariyanakoṭa Ohoma Thamayi, and Adaṭa Væḍiya Heṭa Hondayi.
In 2022, Wedisinghe was honored with an award for the outstanding contribution to the Sinhala cinema and song at the Silver Screen Awards.

Albums

She has released 2 cassette albums.

Death

Wedisinghe died on 20 February 2025 at the age of 82. Her remains were kept at Jayaratne Restpect, Colombo 8 for public rites from 8:30am 24th February to 3:30pm 25th February. The cremation took place at Kanatte Cemetery on 25 February 2025 at 5pm.

Discography

Adara Chārikā Jeevana Chārikā Adarayayi KaruṇāvayiAnōthathavila Nelum Neḷālā Bædda Purā Sudu Redda Vageyi Ada Diya Goda SemathenaEka Mohotak Oba Sevaṇē Galana Doḷē Peṇa Bubuḷayi AdarēHiru KumaruniKanda Uḍin Handapāyana LeelāKanden Kandaṭa Landen LandaṭaMaṭa Kumaṭa Da SabandaMē Udāra Lankā BhūmiyayiNisala Nisasala AmbiliyōOba AnjalikaraṇīyayiOnna Babō AethinniyāPinna MalpīpiPōyadāṭa Pāyana Sanda Kumak VæniRandorin Enna AdarēRansanda Manḍalak SēSenkaḍagalapura Saḷadā BuduræsSugatha Thathāgatha HimiyaniThārakāvalin Liyū Namudu Ambarē
  • ''Vilaka Nelum Mal''