NORMAN COREA was born to Victor Corea and Sita De Alwis. He was a talented musician and could play the violin and piano. A violin music teacher by profession and well-known in classical music and choir circles of his time, Norman Corea was also a gifted composer, whose dreamy "Cradle Song" is widely considered a 'classic' and is performed by celebrity Sri Lankan performers, to date.

Norman Corea's music was played at the first ever Serendipity Festival in London, UK in 2003 at a presentation of Sri Lankan painting, installation, sculpture, mixed media work, poetry, dance and music in association with the October Gallery of Bloomsbury, London. It was the first major exhibition of Sri Lankan art outside the shores of Sri Lanka, since the 43 group exhibited in London.

Norman married Nirmalie, and had two children: Devapriya (who passed away in 1995) and Priyadharshani. He is grandfather to Gimhani Wickremesinghe, the only child of Norman Corea's daughter, Priyadharshani.