Veteran musician and virtuoso drummer Aruna Siriwardhana, a mentor to many young Sri Lankan musicians, has entered into an endorsement agreement with Yamaha Music Centre and its sister company Mike Audio for three leading global instrument brands, Yamaha Drums, Vic Firth sticks, and Sabian cymbals.
Mr Siriwardhana will be provided Vic Firth sticks to meet all his performance requirements by Mike Audio (Pvt) Ltd., the sole distributor for the brand in Sri Lanka; an assortment of cymbals by Sabian HQ, Canada, also in collaboration with Mike Audio; and the use of a rehearsal facility at the newly built, fully-equipped Yamaha Pro Studio located on the first floor of Yamaha Music Centre for his endorsement of Yamaha Drums, Japan.
“Aruna is one of the most respected personalities in the local music scene not only for his skills as a musician but for the role he plays as a discoverer and influencer of, and a mentor to, many young musicians who he teaches free of charge,” said Shane Joachim, General Manager at Yamaha Music Centre. “We are proud to sign him up as an endorser of our brands.”
Mr Siriwardhana exclusively uses the gear and instruments provided by the sponsor brands, because in his own words, “they are some of the finest products in the market,” and has for many years been a very satisfied user of these brands, and by extension publicly endorsed and supported their growth in the country.
Vic Firth, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded by the American musician Everett Joseph Vic Firth in 1963. The company bills itself the world’s largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets, which are made in Newport, Maine.
Sabian is a Canadian cymbal designing and manufacturing company founded in 1981 by Robert Zildjian. It specialises in drum-set cymbals, cymbals for bands and orchestras, percussion instruments, and related accessories.
Yamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation founded in 1967. The company manufactures acoustic and electronic drum kits as well as percussion instruments, marching band equipment, and drum hardware.
Among other Sri Lankan artistes endorsed in the past by Yamaha Music Centre are Lahiru Perera (La Signore), Billy Fernando, Sanka Dineth and Rookantha Gunathilaka, while Soundarie David is currently under endorsement.
The Yamaha Music Centre is currently the only music store in the country offering customers world class musical instruments, home audio, pro audio and studio recording equipment under one roof. The Yamaha brand’s legacy in Sri Lanka traces its beginnings to Michael Caderamanpulle Snr retailing Yamaha pianos in 1922 under the name ‘Yamaha Music Centre.’