Laborie opens 2017 with two major cultural events

Press Release:-13 January 2017. The Laborie Steel Pan made history in 2016 when it became Panorama Champion.

The Laborie Pan Project – the steel band’s parent programme at Labowi Promotions – is making history again by hosting the first edition of a major international workshop in Laborie. Since 4 January, musicians from the USA, France and Sweden have gathered in this village for the 2017 Laborie Steel Pan and Brazilian Percussion Workshop.

Tutored by renowned composer, band leader and virtuoso performer Andy Narell and by Director of Percussion Studies at Eastern Kentucky University Jason Koontz, this workshop explores music for steel orchestra, various styles of Brazilian drumming, and the confluence of these two musical traditions.

For the young members of the Laborie Steel Pan who are taking part in some of the sessions, this workshop is a unique opportunity to learn from and share with foreign players, and to display their own talent.

This 11-day workshop will culminate on Sunday 15 January at 5pm at the Laborie panyard in Citrus Grove, Laborie, where workshop participants will perform the music they practiced over the two weeks, and where they will be joined by members of the Laborie Steel Pan. This is a free concert, and all music lovers are encouraged to attend.

Later in the month, Laborie will host the second edition of Paint the Village, the visual arts festival hosted by well-known painter Jonathan Gladding. This event brings together professional and amateur artists, young and old, residents or visitors to participate in a collective sharing of work and critique, with special advice given to beginners and young artists.

For this edition of Paint the Village, three activities will take place: on Thursday 26 January, selected students from the Laborie and Banse-La Grace Primary Schools will work on the refurbishing of a large mural that celebrates Laborie’s vibrant cultural tradition.

On Friday 27 January, Jonathan Gladding will conduct a master class on the art of the portrait. And on Saturday 28 January, the festival will end with a “plein air” event where participants will be invited to draw or paint a local scene or subject of their choice.

Work produced during Paint the Village will be exhibited next month, and this visual arts festival is a component of Nobel Laureate Week. Paint the Village and the Pan and Brazilian Percussion Workshop are coordinated by Labowi Promotions and the Laborie Development Foundation, and are part of Laborie’s efforts to develop artistic talent in the community and to promote social and economic development through arts and culture.

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