The 28th Festival of Choirs is set to take place on 1 August 2020, taking place online through a pre-recorded programme being broadcast through Facebook and YouTube.
The Festival of Choirs has been taking place annually for 28 years and coincides with a Service of Thanksgiving to commemorate the anniversary of the Ceylon Bible Society which falls on 1 August every year.
The format of the Festival of Choirs is usually a large live event that takes place at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in Colombo 7. This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival has been taken online.
The 28th Festival of Choirs will feature choirs from schools and churches across the island, including the choirs of Bishop’s College, Trinity College Kandy, Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya, St. Bridget’s Convent, and the Baptist Church of Rawathawatte to name a few.
The Service of Thanksgiving will be presided over by the Bishop of Colombo in the Church of Ceylon Rt. Rev. Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey. The service will also feature a message from the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Bible Society, who will be acting as Chief Guest.
The 28th Festival of Choirs is organised by The Ceylon Bible Society, one of the oldest established societies in Sri Lanka, which was inaugurated on 1 August 1812. The Ceylon Bible Society is an interdenominational Christian organisation involved in the translation, publication, and distribution of scripture-related material islandwide. It has functioned as a resource centre for Bible distribution from the year 1812. The Ceylon Bible Society produces scripture-based material on behalf of Catholic churches, member churches of the National Christian Council and many new churches, for the purpose of evangelism and mission work. The Ceylon Bible Society serves these churches and their partner organisations as a resource, but does not usurp the mission of these churches. Traditionally, the work of the Bible societies was concentrated on making the Bible accessible and affordable to all people at highly subsidised prices.
The present Patron of the Ceylon Bible Society is Bishop of Colombo in the Church of Ceylon Rt. Rev. Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey and the President is Bartleet Sri Lanka Director Eraj Wijesinghe.