Shelton Premaratne

Shelton Premaratne (1931 – 30 May 2024) was a Sri Lankan music composer, instrumentalist and music director.

Career Shelton made his mark in Sinhala music at a time when Sinhala music was loosely inspired by tunes from Hindi music and Tamil music from India. He went on to stamp his authority with the introduction of unique music catering to the Sri Lankan audience.

He served as a music director in over 30 stage productions which also include Henry Jayasena’s theatre production Hunuwataye Kathawa (The Caucasian Chalk Circle), and also served as a music composer for at least 21 Sinhala films including Daskon, Romeo Juliet Kathawak and Hithaka Pipunu Mal. He also educated several students about the essence of music and had also contributed to arts and culture in his long career spanning over six decades.