Leon High School’s Lion Steel will hold a free concert at the Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park Thursday at 6 p.m. The band includes about 100 students spanning 9th-12th grade.
“We are celebrating 35 years of Steel Drums at Leon High School," says Lion Steel Director Conner Fabrega. "Our program has competed at international competitions at Virginia Beach where we have been awarded Grand Champion on multiple occasions."
Three groups will perform: Jouvert, a name relating to a pre-dawn street party that marks the start of the Caribbean Carnival; Bacchanal, which refers to high energy partying that is used to describe the atmosphere of Carnival; and Canboulay, a precursor to what is now Carnival.
“Steel Pan originates from Trinidad and Tobago and has roots in social protest and resistance in the 1930s and 40s. After British authorities banned African drums in the 1880s because of their use of communicating secret messages, locals repurposed anything metal to make music. They would take anything from car parts to 55-gallon oil barrels. This invention would end up being a cultural stepping stone for many nations,” says Fabrega.
“Eventually large competitions called ‘Calypso King Competitions’ were formed. These competitions were both a celebration and a means of communicating and interpreting political events. These are now called ‘Panorama’ competitions where bands perform long-form pieces in Trinidad and Tobago. At our concert, we will perform two Panoramas: ‘Woman is Boss’ and ‘The Guitar Pan.’”
Fabrega says the steel pan is unique because it is the only instrument in the 20th century to be fully chromatic, meaning they can play every note on a music staff in multiple octaves. “Because of this, we are able to span multiple genres and achieve multiple musical effects,” he says.
The concert will feature works spanning from Mozart to KPop Demon Hunters to traditional Steel Pan music.
