Saga is an annual musical festival organized by

Royal College Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

. The first SAGA was held in 2004 and since then has become an important event on

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

's cultural calendar. It is named after the ancient

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

epic poems An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

the

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

and the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

attributed to

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

. In the aspect of oriental music the term referred to the oriental version of sing musical scales as ‘Sa’ refers to the oriental equivalent of the 1st degree- “Do” while “Ga” refers to the equivalent of the 3rd degree, or “Me”

History

For many years before Saga, an annual concert performed by the Royal College Hostel named Miyasi Meerawaya. Miyasi Meerawaya was limited to hostelers, however Upali Gunasekara, the newly appointed Principal of Royal College Colombo wished to broaden the scope for every one to perform. As a result, ''Saga I'' was organized in 2004 with the leadership of Principal Upali Gunasekara and Music Teacher Ashoka Pushpakumara. The project was joined by the School Development Society of the College which was in the process of developing a fundraising event to help development projects within the school. With it the two projects merged becoming one of the largest national events. Over the years dance and drama were added to the event. ''Saga V'', held in 2009 suffered a major set back as it was cancelled mid-show, in the wake of LTTE air raid on Colombo. Proving to be a defining moment, for the first time in Sri Lanka history an event cancelled due to a public emergency was held again as ''Saga V Plus'' to much praise and critical acclaim. The following year, ''Saga VI'' held special meaning for the school, as it was held on the eve of Royal College's 175th Anniversary in 2010. The event was held at

Navarangahala The Navarangahala (''"New Theatre"''), in Colombo, is one of the main national theatres of Sri Lanka. History Built between 1966 and 1969 by the 4 Field Engineer Regiment, SLE as the Royal Primary School Hall, it was specially designed for l ...

within the school with a theme that showcased changes in music that had taken place from 1835–2010. ''Saga VII'', became the first musical event organized by a school to be held at the newly built

Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre The Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre ( si, නෙළුම් පොකුණ මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ රඟහල, ''nelum pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa rangahala''; often known as Nelum Pokuna; previously the National Performin ...

.Royal ready for seventh Saga
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Venues

Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), ( si, බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යාන්තර සම්මන්ත්‍රණ ශාලාව ta, பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வத� ...

* Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium

References

External links

Official site
{{coord missing, Sri Lanka Royal College, Colombo Music festivals in Sri Lanka