Waubonsee Steel Drum Band coming to Warrenville

The Waubonsee Community College Steel Drum Band will play at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at IBEW Local 701, 28600 Bella Vista Parkway, Warrenville.

The performance by the band, which was established in the 1980s, is sponsored by the Warrenville Arts Council.

The group performs frequently at the Sugar Grove campus, for area schools and at community events. It presents traditional reggae and calypso music in addition to a wide variety of styles such as classical, rock and pop. Concertgoers will hear music originally performed by The Temptations, Adele and Stevie Wonder in addition to traditional favorites.

Frank Check, the band’s director, also serves as the school’s percussion instructor. He has performed throughout the United States, in Canada, England, France and South Korea.

He was the drummer for the Northern Illinois University Steel Band and has worked as a teaching assistant at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Wisconsin. He currently performs with Junk in the Trunk, the Rockefeller Orchestra and teaches privately at several music stores.

The concert will include a guest appearance by members of the Pastiche Steel Ensemble, an adult group known as the nation’s premier steelpan ensemble. Pastiche has performed in such prestigious venues as the Chicago Symphony Center and the Kennedy Center in New York City in addition to appearances in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students or seniors. Tickets are available at the door, online at WarrenvilleArtsCouncil.com, by calling (630) 876-2935 or sending an email to WarrenvilleArtsCouncil@gmail.com.

The event also features an exhibit by three visual artists who are members of the arts council: Loretta Holt, mixed media; Rocky Falco, ceramics; and Joe Urso, painting. Artwork is available for sale.

The performance is sponsored in part by a grant from the city of Warrenville hotel-motel tax fund.