Deepa Hettige

Deepa Hettige is a multi-talented performance artist, excelling at dancing, drumming, singing, and acting.

She has been singing since she was a little girl in Sri Lanka. At 10 years old, she began to learn Sinhalese folk music (called 'jana gee') as well as Hindustani classical music. By her teens, she was already composing songs for drama productions directed by her father. She continued to pursue her talents and passion in the performance arts, working with numerous well-known Sri-Lankan music directors and artists including Rohana Weerasinghe,  and the late Somadasa Elwitigala and Visharada P. V. Nandasiri.

After completing her higher education, she worked for a while with Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation as a program producer. During this time, she also performed live on air, both as a singer and a voice actor, performing light songs ('sarala gee'), jana gee, poetry, and radio plays.

Since coming to Canada, Deepa has performed at a number of venues including many local and international festivals across Ontario.  She also passes her artistic knowledge onto the younger generation through teaching.