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Meet Norzika Lewis - New York, USA - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Norzika Lewis
New York, USA

 New York, U.S.A. - “Those ten minutes on stage to me are the best moments in my life every year that I perform. There is always this feeling like a rush of energy that I get when I perform. Because being a performer

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Meet Anesha Carbon - United Kingdom - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Anesha Carbon
United Kingdom

London, U.K. - “Pan itself, I don’t think I would change anything. I think it would just be people outside of the community’s views. It’s not ‘tin pan,’ ’dustbin lids,‘ you shouldn’t knock the instrument with your

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Meet Tiana Parry - United Kingdom - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Tiana Parry
United Kingdom

England, U.K. - “I want to see steelbands selling out venues across the UK. I also want to see steel pan televised and seen equally to other instruments in the UK.”

She is a budding intellectual, legal scholar and pa

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Meet Jovanka Williams - Guyana, S.A. - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Jovanka Williams
Guyana, S.A.

Guyana, S.A. - “I love performing and entertaining people. Seeing the joy on their faces when we play is priceless. On the other hand, being able to educate the nation’s future and somehow play a part in the maint

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Meet Patricia Jones - Maryland, USA - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Patricia Jones
Maryland, USA

Maryland, USA - “Music embodies my life to the point that it takes precedence to eating, drinking and sleeping. I often hear melodies and musical arrangements in my head...”

She is a music educator, performer, rec

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Meet Sherlanda Willie - New York, USA - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Sherlanda Willie
New York, USA

New York, U.S.A. - “I would say “Go for it and give it all you have!” If you’re passionate about something, you will give it your all and not let anything or anyone come in between you and your dreams. I am the pl

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Meet Justina Ploeger - Germany - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Justina Ploeger
Germany

Dortmund, Germany - “I’m lucky to be born in a city, which can by now be called, “The steel pan stronghold of Germany.” The first steel pan association in Dortmund was founded in 1995 and a pan-round-the-neck band was pa

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Meet Nakita Wilfred - Barbados - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Nakita Wilfred
Barbados

Barbados, W.I. - “Whenever I play pan, I would drift to this place of total bliss where she [my mother] resides and I can never help but to smile uncontrollably and feel at peace. Onlookers always inquire about my abili

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Pan Trinbago’s Diaz stepping down

Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz has told members he is stepping down from his position amidst the current chaos within the organisation. Speaking on the organisation’s status and condition, at a

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Meet Nakiya Athina de Freitas - Antigua - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Nakiya Athina de Freitas

Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. - “I would tell any young female panist to go for it. If it’s something you love and enjoy, don’t let anything deter you from that passion. You will face many ups and downs and you will feel like

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Meet Laéticia Walker - New York/Saint Vincent - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Laéticia Walker
New York/Saint Vincent

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. - “Steel pan has become a part of who I am. The sound is my heart beat, it is something I will never attempt to try and live without

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Meet Alice Adams - United Kingdom - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Alice Adams
United Kingdom

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

North Tyneside, U.K. - “It’s the most indescribable & amazing 10 minutes. I felt full of every single emotion after Trinidad Panorama, it was my biggest achievement to d

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Meet Jahnya Gilkes - New York, USA - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Jahnya Gilkes
New York, USA

New York, U.S.A. - “On who is her favorite arranger - “Marc Brooks because he has seen me grow from when I first started playing to now, and has challenged me and pushed me to be the best that I can be. Plus, his arr

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Meet Shawndel George - Trinidad & Tobago - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Shawndel George
Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - “Being a woman player in the world-famous Phase II Pan Groove is humbling. The idea of being affiliated with the band, not just as a female but as a regular member of the band is someth

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Meet Ayana “YaNz” Garcia - Trinidad & Tobago - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Ayana “YaNz” Garcia
Trinidad & Tobago

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - “Those eight minutes are magical - it’s what I wait for 364 days of the year. The emotion you feel telling this music story is like

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Meet Etsuko Tajima - New York/Japan - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Etsuko Tajima
New York/Japan

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

New York, U.S.A. - “...It is a magical instrument. Especially when you play as a band, I can’t even describe how my spirit is lifted. The only way is to experience it.”

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Meet Zakiya De Coteau  Trinidad & Tobago - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Zakiya De Coteau 
Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - “In 2016 I made history with Platinum All-Female Steel Orchestra by becoming the first all-female band to compete in the panorama competition. I also had the opportunity to experienc

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Meet Solange Baptiste - Trinidad & Tobago Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Solange Baptiste
Trinidad & Tobago

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - “My love for music and the instrument keeps me going, together with the adrenaline rush and new upcoming challenges which a Panorama piec

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Meet Sheleen Baynes - Trinidad & Tobago - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Meet Sheleen Baynes
Trinidad & Tobago

Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - “What keeps my passion for the instrument and art form going, is having people walk up to me and express their appreciation for my skills

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Update -- Meet Jossane Kerrice Felix - Trinidad & Tobago - Celebration of Women and the Steelpan Art Form

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.  - “At 5 years old, my parents took me to Renegades’ panyard and I was totally mesmerized by the level of complexity and difficulty of Dr. Jit Sukha Samaroo’s music. This compelled me to want to grow up to become a Renegade t

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