Miami University

News Release

News and Public Information Office
Glos Center
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
(513) 529-1950 fax
newsinfo@muohio.edu

"State of the Steel Band Art Form" Dec. 4

11/26/2008

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Chris Tanner

Chris Tanner, founder and director of the Miami University Steel Band, will present "Pan in the 21st Century: The State of the Steel Band Art Form" at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in the Shriver Center Heritage Room. His talk is part of the Center for American and World Cultures' UniDiversity program.

Tanner, associate professor of music and author of The Steel Band Game Plan, will trace the history of pans and the steel band from the dustbins and biscuit tins of 1930s Trinidad to the current state of the art.

Members of the Miami University Steel Band will perform musical selections outlining the development of the steel pan repertoire.

Tanner is active as a performer, educator and composer/arranger. Under his leadership, the Miami band has grown from 10 players and six instruments in 1994 to more than 60 members and 25 instruments today. It is one of the few university bands to have released professional-quality recordings, including "Simple Pleasures" (2006).

The lecture, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Center for American and World Cultures. For more information, contact the center at 529-8309.