Tanya Ekanayaka facts for kids

Tanya Ekanayaka (born 6 May 1977) is a talented composer and pianist from Sri Lanka and Britain. She is known for her amazing piano playing and for writing her own music. She combines classical training with music from Asia and around the world. Tanya is also a record producer, a musicologist (someone who studies music), and a linguist (someone who studies languages). She is one of the most active female composer-pianists in the world.

Early Life and Musical Start

Tanya Ekanayaka started playing the piano when she was five years old. She gave her first big piano concert at age twelve. When she was sixteen, she became the youngest person to win a major piano competition in Sri Lanka. After winning, she performed her first concerto, which is a special piece for a solo instrument and an orchestra.

Tanya Ekanayaka's Music Career

Tanya Ekanayaka has released several albums of her own piano music. She composes, performs, and produces these albums herself. Her music often blends different cultures and sounds.

First Albums and World Music

Her first album, Reinventions: Rhapsodies for Piano, came out in 2015. The songs on this album are inspired by traditional Sri Lankan folk music.

Her second album, Twelve Piano Prisms, was released on 14 September 2018. This album also includes adaptations of Sri Lankan music. It also features melodies from Armenia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Music Inspired by Planets and People

On 14 May 2021, Tanya released her third album, The Planets & Humanity - Piano Reflections. The songs on this album are her musical thoughts on the eight planets in our solar system. They also reflect on Earth's seven continents. Many pieces include melodies from indigenous (native) peoples around the world. These include melodies from groups like the Asháninka, Cree, Gond, Hadza, Numbulwar, and Sámi people.

Exploring Languages and South Asia

In April 2023, Tanya released a double album called 18 Piano Sutras & 25 South Asian Pianisms. This album features 43 new songs for solo piano. These compositions are inspired by 40 different human languages and 42 traditional songs.

The first part of the album, 18 Sutras, uses languages from six continents. Many of these languages are endangered, very old, or no longer spoken. The second part, 25 South Asian Pianisms, focuses on 22 languages from eight countries in South Asia. These countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Piano Isles

Tanya's sixth solo album, 16 Sri Lankan Piano Isles, was released on 23 May 2025. This album has sixteen piano pieces inspired by islands in Sri Lanka. Eight of these pieces were composed over time. The other eight are "Extempore Compositions." This means they were composed and recorded at the same time, in one take, during the recording session. Each of these pieces has a unique musical idea.

Tanya Ekanayaka is the first Sri Lankan composer to have full albums of her original music released worldwide by international record labels.

Helping Others Through Music

From 2012 to 2014, Tanya also worked on a music project. This project helped Sri Lankan school children who were affected by the country's thirty-year Sri Lankan Civil War. The goal was to help them recover through music.

Education and Special Abilities

Tanya Ekanayaka has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. She also earned a Master of Science degree and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in the UK. She holds several important music diplomas from top schools like Trinity College of Music, the Royal Schools of Music, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Tanya is ambidextrous, meaning she can use both hands equally well. She also has synaesthesia, a condition where she might experience one sense through another (like seeing colors when she hears music). These unique abilities influence how she creates her music.

Key Published Works

Here are some of Tanya Ekanayaka's important published works for piano:

• Adahas: Of Wings Of Roots (2010)
• Dhaivaya: Altering Hue (2011)
• Labyrinth; Vannam Lent (2012)
• Dew Encounters: Of Scottish Walks, Vannam (Udara) & Sri Lanka's Bugs Bunny (2013)
• Vannam (Gajaga, Mayura & Hanuma) & You (2013)
• In Lotus: Olu Pipila With Moment (2013)
• 2013/14 June Echoes (2013–14)
• G – With Paaru Kavi (2016)
• F – Renewal & Goyam Kapuma (2016)
• F Sharp – Kitty & Bambaru (2016)
• E Flat – July 2016/17 (2016–17)
• B Flat – Armenia to a Pearl (2017)
• C – Emerald Lapwing Karpet (2017)
• D Flat – Intuition, Auld Lang Syne & an Asian Sacred (2017)
• E – Arrow-and (2017)
• A – Zuni Sea (2017)
• A Flat Scintilla: Komitas Unto Childhood (2017)
• B – Of Vannam & Zhuang Tai Qiu Si (2017)
• D – Hana Hare (2017)
• Neptune: Asháninka Kindled (2018 & 2020)
• Mercury with Antarctica (2019–20)
• Uranus: Numbulwar Sustaining (2020)
• Venus: Sámi Traced (2019–20)
• Saturn: Gond Inspired (2019)
• Earth – Life (2020)
• Jupiter: Cree Cast (2020)
• Mars: Hadzabe Touched (2020)
• Yelimu (2021–22)
• Ruyanpe (2021)
• Agidu (2021)
• Ushe (2021)
• Yuhuma (2021)
• Tolou (2021)
• Tunder (2021)
• Nim (2021)
• Ekitala (2021)
• Ihua (2021)
• Seiri (2021)
• Anlamach (2021)
• Kandaani (2021)
• Tumaiguini (2021)
• Uvhendza (2021)
• Niyare (2021)
• Takeimalo (2021)
• Pavaz (2021)
• Khirkey (2021)
• Dhatoh (2021)
• Khwe (2021)
• Parun (2021)
• Emrouz (2021)
• Sabaa (2021)
• Kaini (2021)
• Noshwor (2021)
• Ipil (2021)
• Vissaara (2021)
• Lewa (2021)
• Turi (2021)
• Vishraam (2022)
• Neralu (2022)
• Ghara (2022)
• Subhane (2022)
• Aabshaar (2022)
• Iskim (2022)
• Dhwani (2022)
• Cirai (2022)
• Numa (2022)
• Indraikku (2022)
• Siithu (2022)
• Nivahan (2022)
• Ode To South Asia (2022)
• Kera-Extempore (2024)
• Little Barnacle (2022)
• Elubu-Extempore (2024)
• Soliloquy (2022)
• Manthivu-Extempore (2024)
• Sallithivu Scaevola (2023)
• Palaithi-Extempore (2024)
• Cadence (2023–24)
• Analai-Extempore (2024)
• Blue Rock Dove Tell (2022)
• Nai-Extempore (2024)
• Coral Muse (2022–23)
• Ithivu-Extempore (2024)
• Realms (2023–24)
• Riyathi-Extempore (2024)
• Luminary Crows (2023–24)