Rochester City School District

“Panfest” Features Steel Drum Music from Marshall High School, Antigua, West Indies

NEWS RELEASE – ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Contact: Mary Taylor, 478-4581 Date: March 25, 2008

A celebration of West Indian steel drum or “pan” music will bring together student musicians from John Marshall High School and musicians from Antigua, West Indies.

“Panfest 2008: A Steel Band Extravaganza” takes place March 30 at the Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 N. Plymouth Avenue, at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $8.00 for adults, $4.00 for children 10 and under, and are available at all Wegmans customer service counters.

Urban Steel, the Marshall High School steel drum band, will be joined on the bill by Pan United and St. Joseph’s Academy Glee Club from Antigua.

The concert is made possible through the Rochester, New York/Antigua & Barbados chapter of Partners of the Americas.

Founded in 1999, Urban Steel has had an ongoing musical and cultural partnership with musicians from the West Indies. The band’s drums were handmade by members of the Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra of Antigua during a visit to Rochester. Urban Steel has performed throughout greater Rochester and has made several trips to Antigua where they have performed with musicians from their sister school, St. Joseph’s Academy.

For more information on Urban Steel