Soul Sounds first came into prominence as the Holy Family Convent Senior choir, when under the guidance of Soundarie David, its Music Director, it won a Carols Competition in 1996. The choir has grown from strength to strength over the years, with many memorable milestones. The choir was rewarded for its hard work when it participated in the Youth Choir category, at the International Eistedfodd Festival in Llangollen, Wales. The choir performed phenomenally, achieving 1st runners-up both in the Youth Choir category as well as in the Solo category (Dinushka Jayawickreme).

The birth of Soul Sounds

Wales was a defining moment for the choir, especially since many of the choristers were in the process of finalising their secondary education and leaving school. The members wanted to keep singing as an ensemble, instead of disbanding and going their separate ways. They decided to come together under the name Soul Sounds with Soundarie as Music Director and Jerome de Silva as Artistic Director. While some members of the group were unable to continue, new members have since joined the group. The new identity as Soul Sounds was launched at its inaugural Christmas concert at the (then) Colombo Plaza, entitled Moods of Christmas on 18 December 2004. Moods of Christmas was increasingly popular, and it is now an annual event at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.

Humanitarian Project for tsunami victims

The choir came together as one to work towards a project to raise funds for the victims of the devastating Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004. They were asked to perform for a single, produced by Mike Read, and set about their task lead by Soundarie and the team. A group of expatriates and friends from England served as the interface with the producer. Their effort beat all odds. The record was a major project in England. It raised millions for charity with the Sri Lankan choir Soul Sounds sharing the stage with Cliff Richard, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, Russell Watson (the famed contemporary tenor), Robin and Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Steve Winwood, Boy George, Chicago and others. The record was released throughout Europe on January 24.  The second CD, Soul of the Season was released for Christmas 2005.

World Choir Games, Xiamen, China (2006) and Graz, Austria (2008)

The choir won two silver medals at the 4th World Choir Games 2006. The medals were based on the points awarded by an international jury, in the Gospel & Spiritual and Scenic Folklore categories.

The choir's average age meant that it was among the youngest at this Choir Olympics, competing with more than 2000 choirs from 60 countries. The choir returned to compete in the 5th Games in Graz, Austria, in July 2008. They were delighted to surpass their previous performance winning three Golds, in the all three categories, viz. Gospel and Spiritual Open, Open Popular Choral Music and Open Folklore in which they participated.

International Tours

The choir performed for audiences in the suburbs of Perth, Sydney and Melbourne in February 2007, which marked their first international concert tour. Soon after, a CD, Soul Sounds in Australia was released. India, Kuwait, France and China The choir was invited to perform by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait (April 2007). With the support of H.E. Nirupama Rao, the former High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka and China, and current Foreign Secretary of India, the choir has performed twice in Delhi. The first time was at the Bhakthi Utsav and the Vatican Chapel in 2006, and the second was at The South Asian Band Festival held at the Old Fort (Purana Qilla), in February 2009. In April 2009, the girls were thrilled to visit the beautiful Normandy coast, where all their performances in churches were greeted with standing ovations. The choir returned to China, to perform at the prestigious Forbidden City concert hall in Beijing in June 2009, performing once again with the Shillong Choir. This was part of an initiative to both promote Tourism in Sri Lanka and India, and strengthen ties with China. The choir performed in New York (Manhattan) and Los Angeles in September and October 2010. Soon after the Kuala Lumpur Cricket Club invited the choir for a performance at KLCC in October 2010.

International Listings

Soul Sounds is listed on British Choirs on the Net, under International Choirs, alongside numerous other award-winning choirs from around the world. The choir performs at many popular venues in Colombo, including the Lionel Wendt Theatre and the Bishop's College auditorium. Soul Sounds has been gaining a name for itself not just in Sri Lanka but throughout the world. They have often been privileged guest performers at major functions of diplomatic missions in Colombo, winning high praise from many Ambassadors and High Commissioners.

Neranjan de Silva, the choir's Keyboardist and Audio Engineer probably sums it up best : The secret of the choir's success seems to be the fact that the girls love what they are doing. They enjoy singing and are willing to toil hard to achieve greater heights. They exhibit enormous enthusiasm, motivation, and self confidence. The girls are all characters in themselves with a lot of variety and individuality.

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