Almost-free concert features NIU Steel Band
The Northern Illinois University Steel Band will perform at an almost-free concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights. Concertgoers are requested to bring a minimum of two canned goods or a $5 cash donation (minimum) for the St. Peter Lutheran Church Food Pantry in Schaumburg.
The 35-member NIU Steel Band, comprised mainly of NIU steel pan and percussion majors, was the first active steel band formed in an American university and has performed throughout the United States and around the world. It was created in 1973 by G. Allan O'Connor.
The band performs regularly at public schools, colleges and universities, as well as conventions and arts series. It has three recordings to its credit including the most recent, "Festival of Voices," a live concert featuring an eclectic blend of styles. It is directed by Liam Teague, head of Steelpan Studies and associate professor of Music at NIU; and Clifford Alexis, composer, arranger, tuner and builder.
Over the years, it has broadened its repertoire and performance; highlights include a performance for 18,000 soccer fans in Yankee Stadium, two successful tours of Taiwan in 1992 and 1998, concerts with symphony orchestras (including the St. Louis Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta), and performances at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC). In 2000 the NIU Steel Band had the distinction of placing 2nd in the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad, and in 2002 performed several concerts (including the opening) at the Seoul Drum Festival in South Korea.
For more information on the NIU Steel Band, please visit www.niu.edu/music/ensembles/steelband.shtml.
The NIU Steel Band concert is presented by the Northwest Suburban Community Concert Association as part of its 2014-15 season and its partnership with District 214 Community Education.
Two more concerts are scheduled in 2015: The Lakeside Singers on Sunday, February 22 and June's Got the Cash - A Tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter on Sunday, April 19. For more information, please visit www.nscommunityconcerts.org or Community Education at www.ce214.org. To reserve your tickets for the November 9 concert, please call the the Community Education Box Office at 847-718-7702.