Gayathri Khemadasa, musician and composer, studied in Prague and performed in Europe and North America, was given a Fulbright Professional Scholar award to write the opera Phoolan Devi, which was premiered at Wesleyan University, US. Excerpts of the opera were also performed in Canada and in UK. She was invited to do master classes at Dartmouth College and Cal State.

She is the director of the Khemadasa Foundation, which gives musical education to undeprivilaged children in Sri Lanka and it was founded by her father, the composer Premasiri Khemadasa. Some of her other works include ‘When Caged Birds Sing’ a gallery performance which incorporates poetry, music, singing and drama to talk about equality and to open the space between the spectator and the performer where they both become one.

Her other works include ‘Conversations with a fence’. She has also won awards for Best Original Score for the film ‘Between Yesterday and Tomorrow’ and in doing so, became the first female composer to win in this catagory. She is very passionate about enhancing equal educational opportunities and encouraging women to push against boundaries and pursuing the careers of their choice.