Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
National Steel Orchestra director makes steelpan dream come true
Hadco Group co-CEO John Hadad, left, and National Steel Symphony Orchestra director Akua Leith greet each other for an interview about Musical Instruments of TT, a steelpan facility
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Akua Leith has a dream. The young panist has a vision to capitalise on Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument, steelpan, in a way that can take beyond the country’s borders and make it as ubiquitous as the piano – the world’s most popular musical instrument.
So, in 2018 he started to plan. “I wanted to put something on paper for what the best practice of steelpan could look like,” he told Business Day. He envisioned a world-class manufacturing facility, that did more than just make steelpans but actively engaged in research and development to make pan better – from metallurgy to craftsmanship to tuning to playing – straight through the value chain.
And that’s how Musical Instruments of Trinidad and Tobago (Mittco) started.
See more
Replies
Claude.... you on track
... very interesting.
Brenda H.