A musical (and pictorial) afternoon! - Imperial College Northern Alumni Association

A few lucky Northern California alumni were treated to a delightful recital by Sugeeva Hapugalle at her home on a Sunday afternoon.

A few lucky Northern California alumni were treated to a delightful recital by Sugeeva Hapugalle at her home on Sunday afternoon. Sugeeva (a cousin of our fearless leader, Arjuna) is a world-renowned concert pianist who has performed in Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia as well as in North and South America and her native Sri Lanka. To review her credentials and testimonials, visit her website (http://tinyurl.com/8colh).

Sugeeva received her advanced musical training at the Royal College of Music in South Kensington, London, so she is aware of the unique cultural qualities of Imperial College students. In spite of that, she graciously agreed to play for the Imperial College Northern California Alumni Association, and they were treated to a guided tour through music's "romantic" period from the late eighteenth century into the early 20th.

Starting with a piece by Franz Schubert, she moved through Chopin (a waltz and an scherzo) to Beethoven, Ravel and Schumann, ending with a spectacular performance of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". As wonderful as Sugeeva's playing was, the recital was made even more special by her enlightening commentary between each piece. Her insights into what made the music special added tremendously to the enjoyment of the performance.

Not to be outdone by his wife's extraordinary talents, Sugeeva's husband Prasanna shared his passion for color photography with the group. Using both traditional color prints and digital imaging, Prasanna has built a spectacular portfolio of landscapes from such diverse regions as Alaska, Sri Lanka, Patagonia and Yosemite. The walls of Prasanna and Sugeeva's home are adorned with magnificent prints, adding a pleasant visual complement to our auditory delights.

Their thanks to both Sugeeva and Prasanna for their warm hospitality and for sharing their artistic talents in what was a very special afternoon.

The Imperial College Northern California Alumni Association's next event is a tour of the Portola Valley Tank Museum on September 10, details of which can be found at the event page - http://www.imperial.ac.uk/P6356.htm