Avishka Edirisinghe was born in Sri Lanka and is a second-year Masters student at the Royal College of Music doing a first-study in Collaborative Piano with Roger Vignoles, Nigel Clayton, Simon Lepper and Caroline Dowdle, and a second-study in Conducting with Howard Williams. He is also the English National Opera’s current Assistant Chorus Director.
As a pianist, Avishka has a special interest in working with singers in song and opera repertoire. His work with singers at RCM has led him to win pianist prizes in all RCM vocal competitions, the Pianist’s Prize at the 2020 Kourtney Kenny Awards, the Leeds Lieder-Schubert Institute young artist prize for 2020/2021 with mezzo-soprano Esme Bronwen-Smith, and the Pianist’s Prize at the 2022 Kathleen Ferrier Awards at Wigmore Hall.
As the English National Opera’s Assistant Chorus Director, Avishka will assist the Chorus Master by being the Répétiteur for Chorus Calls, coaching individual singers on repertoire, taking the Children’s chorus rehearsals and conducting the off-stage choral and orchestral music for all the main shows. So far with the English National Opera, Avishka has worked on La bohème, Tosca, The Yeomen of the Guard, Gloriana, and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Avishka’s first experience in Opera was with Pegasus Opera Company, where he was the Répétiteur for their double-bill of Debussy’s “L’enfant Prodigue” and Philip Hagemann’s “Poison, Passion and Petrifaction”. Since then, he was the Répétiteur and Assistant Conductor for their production of “The Aspern Papers”. As well as within Pegasus Opera Company’s shows, Avishka has also played for many of their concerts, includcing their 2021 “Arise: Hope and Legacy” concert and their “Caribbean Jubilee Celebration”.
Avishka’s studies are being generously supported by RCM where he is a John Lewis Partnership Scholar supported by the Victor Dahdaleh Foundation.
Career
highlights
Winner – Pianist’s Prize in the 2022 the Kathleen Ferrier Competition
Appointed as Assistant Chorus Director at the English National Opera.
Awards include
Gregynog Young Accompanist of the Year 2019
Pianists Prize AESS Kourtney Kenny Awards 2020
Leeds Lieder/Schubert Institute Duo Prize 2021 with Mezzo Esme Bronwen-Smith
RCM English Song Competition Pianist’s Prize 2021
RCM Lieder Competition Pianist’s Prize 2021
Help Musicians Sir Henry Richardson Accompanists award 2021
RCM Schumann Competition Pianist’s 2nd Prize 2022
RCM Lies Askonas Competition Pianist’s Prize 2022
Kathleen Ferrier Awards Pianist’s Prize 2022
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