University of Delaware hosts its first annual Delaware Steel Band Festival

[Jambro]

Newark, Delaware Saturday April 25, 2009 Saturday marked the celebration of the first annual Delaware Steel Band festival held at the University of Delaware in Newark. Associate Professor and Percussion Department Head Harvey Price organized the event. The day long festival featured performances by 6 regional bands and a workshop on Drum Set in the Steel Band by noted authority Chris Hanning. The festival included players of all ages. The show started with Pan Jr. a band of middle school aged students from the University of Delaware’s Community Music School. Under the direction of Joe Ambrosino, the band played a few selections including a soca style arrangement of Hedwig’s theme from the movie Harry Potter called The Wizard’s Soca. Next up was the Wilmington Montessori Steel Band under the direction of Atiba Colvin Fields. This band composed of 3rd to 8th grade students played a variety of music including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The host band, Delaware Steel, joined the fray to support Professor Chris Hanning’s workshop demonstrating techniques for the engine room and drummer. The band played sections of Andy Narell’s Coffee Street as Mr. Hanning led student drummers through such styles as calypso, soca, and reverse soca. One of the highlights of the day was the performance of the Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra from the C.A.F.E (Cultural Academy for Excellence) program in Washington DC. They sent some of its best players to the festival to wow the crowd with their prowess. The group played some knock out arrangements of Gloria Estefan’s Conga and Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing as well as a beautiful arrangement of Alicia Keys’ No One written by program director Malika Coletta. The afternoon continued with a performance from the Northern Home Steel band under the direction of Christian Paradis. Like the CAFÉ program, the Northern Home strives to combine steel pan with positive behavior and academic achievement goals. The daytime ended with the Catonsville High School Steel band under the direction of Jim Wharton. This talented young group from Maryland has worked with such pan giants as Ray Holman and Andy Narell. The festival ended with a formal concert featuring Delaware Steel, Catonsville High School Steel Band, and the Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra each performing a set that showed the diversity of steel pan as a true symphonic instrument. The finale included a mass band performance of Andy Narell’s Coffee Street. Everyone playing and listening had a great time sharing in this festive event. Director Price hopes the festival will evolve and get stronger for many years to come.