Shani Diluka studied at the CNSMD in Paris, from which she graduated with a First Prize, and joined the highly prestigious Fondation de Piano de Come, chaired by Martha Argerich.

Guest soloist with numerous orchestras, she has appeared in recitals in many places including  London, Paris, Vienna, Chicago,  Amsterdam, Venice and Japan. On July 8th, at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, internationally renowned pianist Shani Diluka will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 05, with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. Tickets and Box plan are at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.

Q  You recently received two Knighthoods - Knighthood for Arts and Letters from FRANCE and a   Knighthood for  Culture and Arts from MONACO.  Receiving two such Knighthoods must be extremely rare.  What were the main reasons for these honours to be bestowed on you?
I am honoured to have received these two Knighthoods meaning international recognition as an artiste from the French Government and Minister of Culture, and in Monaco from Prince Albert and Princess Caroline who chose to pay tribute to my international career through this honorific title.  It is indeed very rare to receive both and I feel very proud to promote the values of classical music worldwide. 

Q Warner Classics, the prestigious recording label, signed up with you in 2020. You also have a new release due in 2023.  Can you tell us something about that new recording and also something about the previous ones?
Being signed as an exclusive artiste by Warner Classics was a turning point in my career. After legends like Maria Callas, Yehudi Menuhin and also The Beatles, Sinatra and Madonna, I was honoured to be chosen as one of the  Warner artiste family.  It is a mission for me to pay tribute to Classical Music in an international way. My recordings are now broadcasted worldwide from BBC in the UK to NHK in Japan, from ABC in Australia to Brazil National Radio and Canada.  They have also received numerous prizes. I am trying to build recording projects which have meaning and show that classical music can be appreciated by anyone, any social class or any culture in a deep way as it is a universal language. 

I had the privilege to work with the most legendary masters like Leon Fleisher, Murray Perahia, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Alfred Brendel. 

Warner gives me the freedom to build these bridges between sacred heritage and a new vision of classical music for the younger generation. In that way, my last recordings were connecting Beethoven with Indian Ragas as Beethoven was interested in Indian Spirituality (Upanishad), or about Golden Age of French Music (Debussy, Ravel, Fauré) connected to Literature ( Marcel Proust). My new Album “Pulse” is about the heartbeat of the world,  around American Minimalists (Glass/Adams) connecting also with Jazz and Electro music like Daft Punk.  My next album will be around Bach, the divine and greatest architect of  Music.

Q We read that you are both a pianist and a poet. Can you tell us how you bridge these two passions?
For me, music and poetry are soulmates as they describe the invisible dimension, offering us beautiful windows into our emotional and inner life. 

I have always written poetry since I was a teenager, and being edited is a dream, especially since my Poetry book “Canopées” was chosen for the prestigious list of Academie Francaise Poetry Prize. But I am also inspired by my father  Gil Abey, an incredible artist who has written 6 books and more than 500 poems and is a unique painter recognised by collectors. We have a project this summer connecting my music with his paintings! 

Q You are performing Beethoven’s monumental piano concerto No. 05,  the “Emperor” with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, on the 8th of July. What made you choose that particular concerto?
I have been playing all 5 Beethoven concertos, recording some of them and his complete works for piano and cello. For me, this monumental 5th concerto is maybe the most beautiful one in many ways: Of course, it is also very demanding with high virtuosity, but it is full of energy and hope, as he believed in Human Rights and fraternity. We feel this brotherhood in every note, and it has the most beautiful musical theme in Music History: The 2nd movement which is famous and was chosen in many films (like in The King’s Speech).

It is also a beautiful partition for the Orchestra, full of colour and dynamics. The dialogue with the Piano is essential and intense and I look forward to working with the SOSL and the wonderful conductor Dushy Perera!

Q You are the only Pianist from the Indian Subcontinent to enter the Paris Conservatory. This is after you were discovered by a programme by Princess Grace of Monaco for exceptional talent. In a nutshell, can you describe the experience of studying at the Paris Conservatory?
Paris Conservatory is one the best University Music  Schools for Performing Arts in the world, ranked 2nd  in the prestigious QS list for Arts this year, ahead of the famous Julliard School.  I was the first to be chosen from the Indian and South Indian continents. It was incredible for me and my family as only 15 students are selected from around the world. I had then the privilege to receive the highest education in this Conservatory, with demanding schedules and hard work, and I finally came 1st with Honours in the final Diploma exam. It is also a great emotion for me especially this year, as I was asked by the Conservatory of Paris to be Jury of the prestigious Doctorate PHD auditions for Piano and Chamber music.  Being on the other side is a great recognition and deeply emotional for me.

Q Martha Argerich is a world-renowned pianist.  You have had the privilege of joining the prestigious Lake Como Piano Academy, presided by Martha Argerich.  What was that experience like?  
This experience was unique as it is very special for pianists. The Lake Como Piano Academy is like a Villa Medicis residency for pianists. They all come from major Music schools in the world, only a few are chosen ( 6 every year) and we have the opportunity to meet the greatest legends of our time. Martha Argerich is presiding over this Foundation and she is of course a legend! The place is very inspiring, as they offer you to stay and study on the border of  Lake Como.  It is really a fairytale place. Studying music there was magical and so inspiring!

Q Travelling around the world, and constantly presenting concerts must be quite tiring and stressful.  How do you deal with that pressure?
Being a concert pianist is a real adventure every day. Discovering new places, new countries, new cities... Travelling requires of course lots of organizing and I have a wonderful team of managers for every territory who plan everything in detail ( even the choice of piano), in order for me to think only about my music. That helps a lot!

PHOTO CREDIT: Liliroze