The Miami University Steel Band was founded in 1994 with a complement of ten players and six instruments. Under the leadership of founder and director Chris Tanner, the program has grown to encompass two separate ensembles with a combined enrollment of fifty members, and seventeen...
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The Miami University Steel Band was founded in 1994 with a complement of ten players and six instruments. Under the leadership of founder and director Chris Tanner, the program has grown to encompass two separate ensembles with a combined enrollment of fifty members, and seventeen instruments. The ensemble is one of the most active in the Cincinnati area, performing many times annually in settings ranging from school outreach programs to guest appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
A steel band is an ensemble comprising various types of steel drums, or pans as they are known, and a percussion section with drumset, congas, and other Latin percussion instruments. Musical styles from the Caribbean such as calypso, samba, and salsa are often staples of the repertory, but a steel band is capable of performing any kind of music. The Miami University Steel Band performs a wide variety of musical styles, with a special emphasis on original composition.
The Miami University Steel Band is one of the few university bands to have released professional-quality recordings. Burnin’ (March 2001) and One More Soca (2003) were produced by Chris Tanner and steel drum artist/composer Tom Miller, and are distributed nationally. The recordings feature original music by Tanner, Miller, Ray Holman, Darren Dyke, Phil Hawkins and others.
Aside from recordings, appearances at prestigious events are also propelling the Miami University Steel Band onto a national stage. In2002, the ensemble appeared at both the Ohio Music Educators Association annual conference, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. In May 2003, the group headlined the first ever Panorama Caribbean Music Fest in Norfolk, Virginia, a component of the annual Virginia Arts Festival. Joining the band at this festival were such luminaries of the steel band idiom as Ellie Mannette and Andy Narrel.
As the art form of pan grows in the 21st century, the Miami University Steel Band aspires to be one of the leading programs in exemplifying excellence in performance, and in expanding the repertory for this unique ensemble.
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