Harsha Abeyaratne is the associate professor of music and coordinator of keyboard studies
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“I grew up in Colombo, in Sri Lanka,” explained Harsha Abeyaratne, “the capital located on the west and south side of the island. On one side of the city is the vast Indian Ocean. Part of my childhood was also spent in the ancient town of Kandy in the center of the island. It is located 2,000 feet above sea level among tea plantations.
“As a child,” he said, “I loved sports, especially cricket and rugby. I also started playing the piano by ear at the age of 4. At the age of 6, I started taking lessons from my mother who was a piano teacher. At the age of 15, however, I managed to quit as sports and studies got in the way. In Sri Lanka, unlike in the United States, we have to decide what to focus on (like majoring in college) when entering high school. So I followed the sciences.”
He went to high school in Colombo, hoping to become a doctor.
“I felt inclined to do that,” he said, “because a lot of my family, including my two grandparents, were doctors or had PhDs in the sciences.”
But getting into medical college was difficult, he said. Three attempts failed.
“Fortunately, I got an opportunity to come to the USA,” he said, “to do undergraduate studies at Lewis and Clark College, a beautiful college, like Muskingum, in Portland, Oregon. I was just short of my 21st birthday, which meant I was an old man.
“I didn’t have the slightest feeling about being a music professor,” he said, “let alone coming to the US, which was very expensive. However, when I was almost 20 and I was not lucky enough to get into medical college in Sri Lanka, my father who was working in Indonesia surprised me. He said he saved money for my undergraduate education in the US. He said he would also like me to go to graduate school. I was naturally overjoyed.”
He did all his graduate work at Ball State in Indiana, taught for a time at Marshall University, then began teaching piano and music at Muskingum in 2003. Today Abeyaratne is an associate professor of music and coordinator of keyboard studies at Muskingum University.
“I also do recitals in other venues,” he said, “mainly at colleges and universities, to make Muskingum more visible. I am also grateful that my career has taken me to places like London, China, Italy and New York. This fall, I am making my second visit to Carnegie Hall in New York.”
“Harsha is a great colleague and a pleasure to work with,” said David Turrill, associate professor of music and band director, as well as chair of the music department at Muskingum University. “We often have discussions about music, and I always learn from his perspective. It brings a real sense of art to the Muskingum community.”
“The opportunities in the US are endless,” Abeyaratne replied. “The world of music is amazing. And my goal is to improve the students.
“As a young kid,” he said, “I always thought I’d play cricket for high school, then club and hopefully play nationally. I really didn’t expect to get into medical college because of my desire. This world is so much better.”
