a music journey · 2013 — present

People, instruments,
and a little bit of code.

Keyboardist by hand, arranger by habit, faculty-orchestra lead by accident — now sneaking music into HCI research, one sensor at a time.

Colombo / Singapore part-time enthusiast occasionally near-professional
01

About

Music has been the quiet thread under everything I do. I play keyboard instruments — sometimes near-professional, mostly as a hobby — and have spent more late nights than I should admit on chord voicings, re-harmonisations, and the small joy of an arrangement that finally sits right.

From 2013 to 2015 I led the Faculty Orchestra at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and performed in concerts across both university auditoriums and the largest theatres in Sri Lanka.

Today I'm a part-time enthusiast with a new question: what happens when computers join the ensemble?

My current work explores HCI research toward music — embodied interaction, gesture-driven instruments, and computer-based composition tools. Some experiments live in this workspace; more are on the way.

02

The Journey

2013
Faculty Orchestra — University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Joined as keyboardist, eventually leading the ensemble. Learned more about cueing, dynamics, and people than any single instrument could teach.

2013 — 2015
University concerts & arrangements

Multiple performances across the university circuit. Began writing chord works and creative arrangements for the orchestra's pieces — finding the voicing that made a familiar song feel new.

2014 — 2015
Sisi Arundathee · BMICH

Performed in Sisi Arundathee, an annual concert held at BMICH — one of the largest music theatres in Sri Lanka.

2015
Live MIDI tone-driven keyboard performance

An early HCI moment: a university concert where the keyboard's tones were driven live by MIDI routing rather than the instrument's onboard voices. In retrospect, this was where the research instinct started.

2024 — present
HCI experiments toward music

Returning to music with a computer-science lens. Building embodied instruments, gesture-driven arrangements, and small studies of how humans and machines can perform together.

03

On Stage

annual · BMICH

Sisi Arundathee

Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo

Performed as a keyboardist in this annual flagship concert — staged at one of Sri Lanka's largest performing-arts venues.

media coming soon
annual · USJ

Sathsara Dehena

University of Sri Jayewardenepura auditorium

Annual university concert, performed with the faculty orchestra across multiple years (2013 – 2015).

media coming soon
2015 · experimental

Live MIDI keyboard set

University concert

A keyboard performance where tones were driven live by routed MIDI signals — an early step toward the HCI work that came later.

recording coming

Recordings and programme notes from these concerts will be added here as they're digitised and cleared.

04

In the Studio

Composition, sequencing, arrangement, and mixing — built up across years of home-studio experiments. The tools shifted; the chord-work instinct stayed.

FL
FL Studio
composition · sequencing
R
Propellerhead Reason
synthesis · rack routing
Au
Adobe Audition
assembly · mastering
VST instruments & effects
sound design

Brand names are linked to their official sites. Logos & press assets can be swapped in later if needed.

05

Music × HCI

ongoing

Lately the question has shifted from "what should we play?" to "how should we play it together with machines?" These are open experiments — small, hands-on, sometimes embarrassing, occasionally delightful.

experiment · 01

Embodied Orchestra

eo.sankhacooray.com

A gesture-driven mini-orchestra in the browser — theremin, bow, and scale-banded instruments controlled by the body.

visit
slot · reserved

More experiments

coming to this page

Additional music × HCI projects from the workspace will land here as they reach a state worth sharing.

to be added