By Stephanie Kim -- The Hour
WILTON — When Stephen Blinder first started playing the steel drums at age 10, he didn’t know how to play a single melody. Now, at 16, he plays virtuoso solos in the Wilton Steel Community Band — under the direction of Wilton Steel founder Arthur Lipner.
“We’re very lucky to have Arthur,” Blinder said. “He is somebody that really caters to the individual — he figures out your learning style and he really knows how to take you step by step and takes you through.”
Lipner is an internationally renowned percussionist and composer. Since he was 14 years old, he has played on more than 50 albums, toured overseas about 70 times and presented workshops at hundreds of universities and music schools around the world.
And for the past 30 years, the steel drums have been a major part of Lipner’s music career — which is why he decided to form the Wilton Steel Community Band seven years ago.
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