Tharupathi Munasinghe
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Tharupathi Munasinghe (Sinhala: තරුපති මුණසිංහ) is a Sri Lankan-born Australian composer, ethnomusicologist and sound designer. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka and has composed music for films and stage productions[1]. Munasinghe has published academic works on sound studies and sound anthropology, focusing on Sri Lankan cinema and sonic culture[1].
Career and Education
Munasinghe serves as a senior lecturer at the University of Kelaniya and is a doctoral candidate at Deakin University in Australia[1]. In addition to teaching, he composed the music for the film Amawaka and for Ariyaratne Athugala’s musical production Maha Supina[1]. Earlier in his career he provided the original music for Prasanna Vithanage’s stage adaptation Horu Samaga Heluwen[2].
Publications
Sound studies and ethnomusicology
In 2017, Munasinghe published two volumes of research on sound: the English‑language Sound Studies and the Sinhala Nada Sankathana[1]. The Sunday Times reported that Sound Studies compiles ethnomusicology research on low‑country drumming and aural mementoes of Sri Lankan migrants, while Nada Sankathana collects essays on audio media, sound design in cinema, music in Brecht theatre, and Michel Chion’s audio terminology[1]. Both books include bibliographies on sound studies and ethnography[1].
Sound anthropology (Shabdha Manavavanshawadaya)
In December 2024 he released a Sinhala book titled Shabdha Manavavanshawadaya (“Sound Anthropology”), which a Lankadeepa feature described as introducing sound anthropology—an emerging field in Sri Lanka [3]. It noted that the book launch at the Mahaweli Centre featured a panel of academics and critics and explained that the work compiles research articles exploring how people perceive and engage with their sonic environments[3].
Awards and Recognition
- Bunka (Cultural) Award for Music (2014) – The Japan–Sri Lanka Friendship Cultural Fund presented Munasinghe with its Bunka Award for music in 2014. Daily FT reported that the award honours mid‑career artists in fields such as drama, dance and music[4].
- State Literary Award, Best Academic Book (2021) – His book Shabdika Cinamawa (Sound in Cinema) received the award for best academic book at the 2021 Sri Lanka State Literary Awards. An SBS Sinhala report noted that the work was recognised at the national festival and features Munasinghe discussing the challenges of recognising sound in cinema[5].
Contributions to Stage and Film
Munasinghe’s compositions include music for the film Amawaka and the stage production Maha Supina[1].In 2006 the Sunday Times reported that he provided the original music for the stage play Horu Samaga Heluwen, an adaptation of works by Dario Fo[2].
Personal Life
Munasinghe is married to Gayani Gisanthika, a well‑known Sri Lankan actress and poet[6]. Gisanthika had released her own poetry collection Hiding in the Flowing Water[6]. Also, he is the son of Sri Lankan Musician Austin Munasinghe[7].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Tharupathi launches books on sound studies". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Horu Samaga Heluwen". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "අපේ රටට තාමත් ශබ්ද මානව වංශවේදය ආගන්තුක විෂයක් - ප්රවීණ සංගීතවේදී ආචාර්ය තරුපති මුණසිංහ". www.lankadeepa.lk (in Sinhala). 2024. Retrieved 2025-10-04.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "Five Sri Lankan artistes honoured with Bunka (cultural) awards | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ "සිනමාවේ ශබ්දය හඳුනාගැනීම අභියෝගයක්: හොඳම ශාස්ත්රීය ග්රන්ථයට හිමි රාජ්ය සාහිත්ය සම්මානය ලැබූ තරුපති මෙල්බර්න් සිට කියයි". SBS Language. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Today, Ceylon (2025-01-01). "Tharupathi's 'Sound Ethnography' launched". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ "The Sunday Times On The Web - Plus". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
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