By Ashly Stracener
Ouachita Baptist University’s steel drum bands will join together to present their fall concert on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. The concert will be free and open to the public.
“We hope the audience will enjoy a fun and relaxing night of music from a wide variety of genres, which will showcase the versatility of the steel drums,” said Dr. Ryan Lewis, associate professor of music and director of the steel ensembles.
The concert will include performances by the Tiger Steel, Pan Harmony and Pan Jouvet steel drum bands and will be a teaser for the groups’ upcoming tour to Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. Tiger Steel is Ouachita’s advanced steel drum band; Pan Harmony is the after-school program band of fourth and fifth grade students from Peake Elementary School and led by Ouachita students; and Pan Jouvet is Ouachita’s beginner steel drum band.
“Much of the concert is built around our upcoming performance at Universal Studios Orlando in January 2020,” Lewis said. “We will be touring through Florida, performing at high schools, at Universal and at a hospital. Many of the songs we perform on tour will be performed on this concert and are tied to rides, attractions or restaurants at Universal in some way.”
Tiger Steel will begin the Dec. 4 concert with “Jump in the Line” by Harry Belafonte, followed by “Volcano” by Jimmy Buffett and “Take on Me” by A-ha. Pan Harmony will continue with “Funkytown” by Lipps, Inc., followed by “Day-O” by Belafonte. Next, Pan Jouvet will perform “Sarah” by Len Sharpe and “I’m a Believer” by Neil Diamond. Tiger Steel will conclude the concert with “One Love” by Bob Marley, “Sunset” by Len Sharpe and “Woman is Boss” by Denyse Plummer.
For more information, contact Dr. Ryan Lewis at (870) 245-5421 or lewisr@obu.edu or visit www.obu.edu/percussion.
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