Pink Sari Melodies Concert
PINK SARI PROJECT NATIONAL SONG WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS
PERFORM IN PINK SARI MELODIES CONCERT
The Pink Sari Project will be hosting Pink Sari Melodies Concert on Saturday, 19th November at the Auburn Town Hall, an afternoon concert to celebrate the winners of the Pink Sari Project National Songwriting Competition and recognise the success of community efforts to increase breast cancer screening in women from Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds.
The award winning Pink Sari Project is a community initiative launched in 2014 aimed at raising breast screening rates amongst Indian and Sri Lankan communities. Women from these communities have one of the lowest screening rates in NSW. This campaign is led by the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) in partnership with the NSW Refugee Health Service, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and BreastScreen NSW with funding from the Cancer Institute NSW.
The Pink Sari Project National Songwriting competition was developed by MHCS as an innovative, creative and exciting way to promote the key messages about the importance of breast screening to Indian and Sri Lankan communities as well as to other language groups – through the power of songs. Ms Meenakshi Chopra, President of Pink Sari Project Inc. said the songwriting competition was a creative way of engaging the community to promote key messages about the importance of breast screening in the Indian and Sri Lankan communities. It is also a great way for songwriters and musicians to have more exposure about their music, and as well as be involved in the project to encouraging women in their lives and in the community to get regular mammograms.
“We encouraged musical artists to use their talent for composing inspiring melodies and lyrics to help raise awareness about the importance for breast screening for all women from all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and spread the messages that could save the lives of our loved ones” added Ms Chopra
The songwriting competition was open to amateur and professional songwriters and musician from all cultural backgrounds across Australia. The theme for the competition is ‘The women in my life’ and the words ‘pink sari’ had to be included in the compositions. The competition also included a free songwriting workshop at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) to help aspiring songwriters to craft their compositions.
After two years, the Pink Sari Project has achieved positive results with overwhelming support from the Indian and Sri Lankan community in NSW. Research from Cancer Institute NSW reported that by June 2015, the number of breast screens for women from Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds had increased by 8% on the previous year, with numbers continuing to rise. The initiative has also received recognition by winning prestigious national and international awards.
The Pink Sari Melodies Concert will be the perfect way to celebrate all the wonderful achievements of the Pink Sari Project and thank everyone who has supported the campaign. Five new inspiring digital stories of breast cancer survivors from Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds will also be launched at the event.
The top 9 singer/songwriters who will be performing on the day are Sumi Krishnan, Gary Luck, Priyanka Pinto, Rekha Shashikanth, Anu Shivaram, Deepa Srinivasan, Daniel Vijayakumar, Russell Vincent and Sheyana Wijesingha.
The Top 9 compositions will be professional recorded and pressed onto a CD for distribution. The Top 3 winners will receive some great prizes including a first prize of return economy airfare to India or Sri Lanka, as well as cash prizes.
Pink Sari Melodies Concert will be hosted by talented storyteller, poet and artist Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa. She recently took to the stage of Australia’s Got Talent 2016 as a finalist and wowed the audience with her honesty and brilliant performances. In 2014, Ms Khalsa performed spoken word to a wider audience at the Australian Poetry Slam Competition, which spiraled into a YouTube Channel titled ‘Contemporary Kaur.’
The concert promises to be an afternoon of inspirational music and songs by outstanding artists united in sharing their talents to raise awareness about how breast screening can save lives.
Visit the Pink Sari Project website: www.pinksariproject.org
Join the conversation on www.facebook.com/thepinksariproject
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael Camit, Pink Sari Project Lead / MHCS Marketing & Communications Manager
T. 02 8753 5005 I M. 0411 152 354 I E. michael.camit@health.nsw.gov.au
Kevin Bathman, Pink Sari Melodies Concert Curator / MHCS Senior Consultant
M. 0404 962992 I E. kevinbathman@gmail.com
MEDIA CONTACT: Jesusa Helaratne, MHCS Media Manager
T. 02 8753 5006 I M. 0448 2673 08 I E. jesusa.helaratne@health.nsw.gov.au
Pink Sari Melodies Concert (Sat. 19 Nov 2016, 3pm-5.30pm at Auburn Town Hall, Auburn)
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
The songwriters, breast cancer survivors and project curator are available for interviews and photo opportunities.
Interview Opportunity – Sheyana Wijesingha (Songwriter)
Song title: It’s In Our Hands
“My Sri Lankan heritage and my recent experiences in Sri Lanka which have led to a greater understanding of their beliefs and our cultural differences. I have a strong belief that music can be used to bring communities together to encourage a better health awareness and education outcome. An arts for health approach to influence people’s way of thinking towards breast cancer. I want to be part of a community that works together to create a support network for people dealing with health issues such as breast cancer and cultural barriers which may inhibit successful diagnosis and treatment.”
Interview Opportunity – Daniel Vijayakumar (Songwriter) – Tamil Speaker
Song title: Dedication to my Grandmother
“I learnt about the Pink Sari campaign through a friend and realised how important it is to raise awareness of the prevalence of breast cancer amongst my community. When the songwriting competition came along, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to use music, which is an area I’ve been involved in for many years, to further spread awareness of Breast Cancer and the benefits of regular check-ups. I’m hoping that through my song and the awareness it builds amongst both family and friends, I can help to create a culture of openness and proactivity when it comes to tackling breast cancer and minimising its effects on society.”
Interview Opportunity – Priyanka Pinto (Songwriter) – Hindi Speaker
Song title: Torn Photograph
“After learning more about the breast cancer cause with Pink Sari, I realised that this is something close to my heart. Breast cancer is affecting so many women we love and care about, especially among the Indian and Sri Lankan communities who have one of the lowest rates of breast screening in NSW. I wrote ‘Torn Photograph’ about my Grandma who passed away when I was young and so it’s incredible not only to be raising awareness about this issue but also to be able to dedicate something beautiful to her.”
