Stanley Peiris (12 June 1941 – 13 October 2002) was a Sri Lankan musician and musical composer.

Stanley Peiris
Birth nameWeerasinghe Arachchilage Edward Stanley Peiris
Born(1941-06-12)12 June 1941
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Died13 October 2002(2002-10-13) (aged 61)
GenresSri Lankan music
Occupation(s)Saxophonist, composer, teacher
InstrumentSaxophone

Early life

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Stanley Peiris was born in Kandy on 12 June 1941 and attended St. Anthony's College, Kandy. He learnt music at the Kandy M.G.C. institute and later joined the Sri Lanka Navy. He then formed a music group, Fortunes, which specialised in performing instrumental music, an innovative idea in the Sinhala pop scene.[1]

Music

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His musical career spanned more than forty years and he produced over 700 albums[2] and composed scores for about 6,600 songs. Some of his popular melodies include; Lata Walpola's "Punsanda Eliyai", Milton Mallawarachchi's "Amaran Hengum", Clarence Wijewardena's "Duwa Ma Wage", Gration Amanda's "Tharu Yaye" and Nirosha Virajini's "Sigiri Geeyak Obe Hadawathe".

In 1981 he composed music for the film Saranga and then for films including Soora Saradiel and Baisikalaya.[3] Peiris was teaching at St. Anthony's College, Kandy, where Rookantha Gunathilake was one of his students. Peiris then formed Galaxy, with Gunathilake, Mahinda Bandara and Keerthi Pasqual.[4] Peiris helped composer Dinesh Subasinghe at the beginning of his music career in 2000. He has also collaborated with Pandit W. D. Amaradeva.

Selected compositions

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Death

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Peiris died from cancer on 13 October 2002, at his residence in Kandy.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "තුන් මාසේ දානෙන් පස්සේ මියගිය කලාකරුවන් කාටත් අමතකයි". Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. ^ "leisure06". Infolanka.com. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Daily Mirror Online". Archives.dailymirror.lk. 14 October 2000. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  4. ^ "The Sunday Leader Online". Thesundayleader.lk. 22 January 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Unforgettables | Life". Print2.dailymirror.lk. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2012.