Greetings everyone, Black History Month celebrations are coming up in February across Canada.
It gives me great pride to be a part of these events during this time.
Aside from performing, I also offer a hands-on component whereby I bring steelpans and can briefly speak about the history and development of the instrument and the journey of the steelpan in Toronto and how it has positively impacted our city.
I have been asked about “how” the steelpan can be incorporated during the month and here are some ideas:
Corporate/Non-Profits
Morning conference, performing as attendees are arriving
Lunch and Learn programming
Part of BHM celebrations with performance and/or hands-on workshop sessions (sessions do not have to be long)
Libraries/Day Care/Schools/Community Centres
Performances and Hands-on workshops
I am getting a high volume of requests from corporate, non-profits, schools, and libraries for performances as well as workshops. As dates are filling up, kindly contact me sooner than later.
I would kindly ask if you can go to “Bookings” on my site or click on the button below and fill out the requested information.
New Year's Message of Thanks
Toronto Neighbourhood Office’s Senior’s Luncheon at the Ontario Science Centre
Greetings and Happy New Year!
I am just sharing a recap of my year of wonderful opportunities that I had with people from across the city doing great things within their organizations and for the community.
2022 was a busy year! I had the privilege to perform for Black History Month celebrations, create and present FREE virtual steelpan classes for children during March Break which successively turned into a 10-week virtual program (each student was given a steelpan to borrow and use), and perform for senior day programs and residences around the GTA.
Last year I made some new connections and did more corporate events. I had the chance to perform and present hands-on workshops for employees of Oxford Properties, UPS, Pepsi, HOOPP, NPI, CI Financial, RBC, and slew of others.
I was chosen to perform for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at the Royal York but was even more honoured to participate in the 1st Annual Emancipation Cup (founded by Dewitt Lee of Emancipation Month Canada) at the newly named Emancipation Park (formerly Dixie 407 Sports Park) during Emancipation Month. An honour as the Emancipation Month Act became law in Ontario as of February 2022.
I was again appreciated to be invited to a yearly summer event for Sistering, a multi-service agency that serves women who are marginalized, homeless, and may have experienced trauma or violence. MabelleArts, an innovative charity, invited me once more to perform during their weekly MabellePantry which provides fresh produce to community members who experience food insecurity. Each time I have returned to their neighbourhood, I see how much more the residents have come together as a community and family. Special thanks to the Nia Centre for all the work they do for artists across the African diaspora. I had the pleasure of connecting with their community members through the delivery of my workshops. Upon speaking with them you really see how an afternoon of making the decision to try something new, meeting new people, and creating music can make a difference in relieving stress and producing some happy vibes (It is really needed!).
I would ENCOURAGE everyone to learn more about these organizations that service the community.
I had so much fun leading hands-on workshops for youth at U of T Scarborough through the UTSC x 100 Strong Foundation program, faculty at U of T Mississauga and performing for a student conference at Humber College.
This past fall marked the official installation of Dr. Rhonda McEwen as Victoria's 14th president and vice-chancellor.
I had the honour, alongside pannist with Earl La Pierre Jr, to perform for this historic event at Victoria University at University of Toronto. Thank you to Jamea Zuberi for making this a reality.
MUCH APPRECIATION to those who gave me invitations to perform, facilitate workshops, and even made recommendations of my services!
I am EXCITED for all the wonderful opportunities that this illustrious instrument, the steelpan, will bring me this year.
Feel free to check out the rest of my website and follow me on Instagram
Snowflakes On Steel Celebrates 25 Years!
Get your tickets early for one of the best steelband showcases this season.
Snowflakes On Steel, brought to you by Pan Arts Network celebrates 25 years of stellar performances by Toronto’s top steelbands.
Featuring:
Afropan Steelband
Gemini Pan Groove
Panatics Steelband Network
Pan Fantasy Steelband
Souls of Steel
Awarding:
Pan Pioneers & Woman In Pan
Special Guests:
Dance Caribe Performing Company
Location: Chinese Cultural Centre, P.C. HO Theatre
5183 Sheppard Ave. East. (1 block east of Markham Rd)
If you have never experienced it, be sure to note that it is an event that will have you dancing in your seats and singing along.
Don’t get left out in the cold without a ticket!
Tickets: Advance $40, Door $45
Tickets can be purchased at Blackhurst, 779 Bathurst St., M & A Discount Store, 1168 Morningside Ave., or online at Ticket Gateway.
Happy New Year!
Christmas Medley
Installation of Dr. Rhonda N. McEwen as President and Vice-Chancellor
A new chapter in Victoria University's history has begun! October 12, 2022, marked the official installation of Dr. Rhonda McEwen as Victoria's 14th president and vice-chancellor, which took place as part of the Charter Day celebrations.
I had the honour, alongside pannist with Earl La Pierre Jr, to perform for this historic event. Thank you to Jamea Zuberi for making this a reality.
The Isabel Bader Theatre was alive with excitement as students, staff, faculty, university officials, friends and family joined together to fete McEwen and honour the winners of this year’s admissions awards. Watch Dr. McEwen's full speech below.
100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women
BEYOND APPRECIATIVE to have been recognized for the 2022 - 100ABCWomen (Accomplished Black Canadian Women).
Special thanks to Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine, Dr. Denise O'neil Green, and Dauna Jones-Simmons for providing a space to recognize Black Canadian women who are game changers, difference makers, and innovators.
WHO KNEW that decades ago a discarded oil drum from the island of "sweet, sweet T&T" could be transformed to create an instrument for CHANGE, a tool for WELLNESS, EDUCATION, COOPERATION & TEAM BUILDING, CONNECTING people of different cultures and generations, and providing a SPIRITUAL LINK back to our ancestors.
YUH DEH YAH OAKWOOD?
THANK YOU to the Nia Centre for inviting me to be a part of this AMAZING event filled with MUSIC!
I enjoyed performing, speaking about the history of the steelpan, as well as facilitating hands-on steelpan workshops. I connected with so many people who were excited to receive me as well as this magnificent instrument.
100 STRONG Summer Academy X UTSC
Caribbean Catch-Up at University of Toronto - Mississauga
THANK YOU to University of Toronto - Mississauga’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office, International Education Centre, and Connections & Conversations in “honouring and acknowledging students, staff, faculty, and librarians of Caribbean descent, raising awareness around Caribbean culture, and celebrating Caribbean culture as a whole.” ~@utmedo
Diversity and Inclusion Multicultural Celebration
Diversity and Inclusion Multicultural Celebration at Pizza Pizza head office in Mississauga.
The staff had a world of fun learning to play the steelpan
Queen's Platinum Jubilee
March Music Break Program
Do you know a youth between the ages of 8 - 16, who would like to learn to play the steelpan?
Sign them up for a special opportunity to be selected for a FREE five 60 minute morning virtual sessions with me!
During March Break, we are offering an opportunity for three students to virtually learn to play the steelpan.
Knowledge of music is not required.
This is an introduction to the lead steelpan whereby students will become familiar with the notes, technique, scales and a simple song.
Instruments, sticks, and stands will be provided on loan for each student.
Sessions will run from March 14th - March 18th from 11am-12pm.
Program open to students who reside in the Greater Toronto Area.
Parents of selected participants will be contacted regarding acceptance as well as the instrument and its use.
Students will be taught by Suzette Vidale, one of Toronto's leading female steelpan soloists.
(Read more about Suzette here)
This initiative is sponsored by Black Music Month.
#marchbreak #steelpan #gta #gtaprograms #kidsprogram #virtuallearning #musicforkids #toronto #scarborough #etobicoke #northyork #eastyork
Wedding Season has opened up once again!
It gives me such great pleasure to perform on one of the most special days in the lives of couples, their wedding.
For the past two year, many people have had to postpone numerous times and/or as well reduce the number of guests to accomodate restrictions. Through it all, I have been honoured to be the steelpan soloist at these memorable events. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day!
Black History Month at Mary McCormick Centre
During steelpan performances and workshops, I always try to make them educational, fun and as well spotlight the local and international contributions.
Canada
@afropansteelband legacy shirts
Pan Soul Vibrations by Jesse Andrews (pan poetry)
PanMan by Tarquin Lougheide (book)
The E-Pan invented by Salmon Cupid (article)
Carnival Guides: @torontocarnival.ca
Photos:
Pan Round the Neck band
Pan Alive @ontsteelpanassociation
9 bass
Trinidad & Tobago @tourismcultureandarts
Spider Web pan by steelpan innovator Anthony Williams (approx 1950's)
Renegades!: The Story of BP Renegades Steel Orchestra by @kim.n.johnson (book)
Trinidad All Stars: From Tabanca To Rain (cd)
If Yuh Iron Good You Is King by Kim Johnson (book)
Steelpan figurines: wire bending artisans
Barbados
@thencfbarbados
Ping Pong by Janet Stoute (book)
Japan
Panmag by Yukari Onishi (magazine)
France
Calypsociation Steelband: Made it (cd)
USA
Jumbie Jam Steel Drum
Trini To the Bone on steelpan but have you ever heard the calypso Jean and Dina on harmonica?
Black History Month celebration @cityofto @torontopfr Mary McCormick Centre.
Thanks to @its_toy_toy, #frankforde & #kennethslater for bringing the vibes.
Shout out to @elbatonapparel
#toronto #ontario #trinidad #tobago #steelpan #djembe #harmonica #calypso #soca
#bhm #blackhistorymonth
#steelpanintoronto #torontosteelpan
Vibes for Valentines
Shout out to @panmanonduty for inviting me to participate in Chunes From Chunesville which showcased on February 12th. The song I performed was Tender by Patrice Roberts.
Chunes From Chunesville - Valentines Day Edition
Excited to be invited to participate in Chunes From Chunesville - Valentines Day Edition
The online event features international pannists.
An instrument for cultural resistance
In conjunction with Fragments of Epic Memory, the AGO is hosting a series of steel pan performances in Walker Court. We spoke to Toronto-based steel pannists Earl La Pierre and Suzette Vidale to learn about this important piece of Trinidadian history.
Fragments of Epic Memory, the AGO’s major exhibition centred on the art and legacy of the Caribbean, has been open to the public for the past couple of weeks. If you’ve visited the Gallery on a Saturday afternoon, you may have heard the distinctive sounds of steel pans being played in Walker Court, alongside British-Trinidadian artist Zak Ové’s breathtaking installation sculpture Moko Jumbie (2021). The AGO invited two of Toronto’s most well-known steel pannists for a limited run of performances, adding a musical and deeper cultural tie to Fragments. Both accomplished musicians, educators and leaders in Toronto’s steel pan community, Earl La Pierre Jr. and Suzette Vidale have been sharing their musical stylings in the city and abroad for decades.
The steel pan was born out of resistance in 1930s Trinidad and Tobago; many believing its exact birthplace is the capital city of Port of Spain. When French planters arrived in Trinidad in the 1700s, they brought with them enslaved people from West Africa. It is said that these enslaved people, barred from participating in Carnival with their enslavers, used sticks and bamboo to make percussion instruments (like the tamboo bamboo) to play during their own version of Carnival, only to have these instruments banned by their enslavers quickly thereafter. Eventually, in the post-emancipation years, formerly enslaved people continued to invent musical instruments. Discarded metal objects like dust bins and car parts were turned into instruments by street musicians. Enter the oil drum in 1934; hammered, polished and tuned to play. “Oil drums,” explains Vidale, “had a greater surface area to accommodate more [music] notes and produce more sounds.” Indeed, the steel pan has endured in years since then, expanding well beyond the shores of Caribbean islands. To learn more about their careers and the steel pan in Toronto, we asked La Pierre and Vidale a few questions.
AGOinsider: How did you get your start as a steel pannist?
La Pierre: I started playing because it's in my blood, although I never liked pan when I was growing up. My dad [Earl La Pierre Sr.] was very instrumental in bringing the steel pan to Canada’s Caribbean communities in the 1960s. I started when I was around 14 or 15 years old but I regret not starting earlier. I was asked to perform at an assembly because my dad's band was also going to be performing at my school. As I got older, I developed my style that mixes R&B, Hip Hop and Reggae. From there, it was on!
Vidale: In 1993, my mother encouraged me to play. I wasn’t interested at first, but a good friend named Monifa Colthurst invited me to an Afropan Steelband rehearsal. I remember it as the first time I really saw steel pans up close. They were illustrious and they pulled me in closer. Once I heard the sounds and felt the vibes, I was hooked.
AGOinsider: How have you seen Toronto’s steel pan community evolve throughout your career, especially as the instrument and its sound have become more widespread?
La Pierre: From what I can remember when I started playing, there were only a few steel bands in Toronto: Afropan, Silhouettes, Metro Tones, Pan Masters, Taspo and The Lions Club. There were only a handful of pan makers, like Earle Wong, Tommy Crichlow and Ed Peters. Now, there are many steel bands and pan makers across GTA. It's more commonly recognized in Toronto. We even have schools that offer steel pan courses.
Vidale: Toronto is a melting pot and you can see that reflected within the bands. There’s more diversity. In some bands, more than half of the pannists are women. Pannists are getting younger as the years go by.
Toronto’s steel pan community was originally closely associated with Caribana. In the decades since Caribana’s inception in 1967, I have seen steel bands and pannists participate in diverse events, ranging from non-Caribbean cultural festivals to Pride, and international film festivals.
As audiences listen to the various steel bands around the city, they realize that many of the stereotypes they hold of steel bands and steel pannists aren’t based on reality. Many times, they might expect to see a male player and hear calypso and reggae but are often shocked to see a female player and hear classical music, R&B, Hip Hop or other cultural pieces from various parts of the world.
Aside from seeing the steel pan being incorporated into educational institutions at all levels, my most favourite shift is the inclusion of the instrument as a wellness tool. I have had some of the greatest moments connecting with our city’s most vulnerable citizens. I am always learning from others while doing steel pan workshops for the homeless, at-risk youth as well as marginalized women who have been abused or experienced trauma.
AGOinsider: What goes into preparing for solo and group steel pan performances? Do you prefer to improvise or play a setlist?
La Pierre: That’s a difficult choice because they are so different! I’ll say that it doesn't matter if it's for solo or group performance, practice is the most important thing. I have been doing more solo performances lately so I try to learn the song. Not just how to play it, but understanding what the song is about and what the original songwriter is trying to convey. I try to bring the feeling of the original song into my rendition.
Vidale: Depending on the event, you may have new pieces to learn if there is a specific theme For International Women’s Day, for example, I would perform inspirational songs about female empowerment. I try to have a diverse repertoire so I can easily add to the atmosphere of the event I’m performing at. I generally know what I would like to play, but once I arrive in a space, I take my cues from the audience. Sometimes, you completely change your set.
AGOinsider: Why do you think the steel pan has endured as such a strong part of Caribbean culture, even beyond its roots in Trinidad and Tobago?
La Pierre: Trinidad and Tobago have so much culture for such a small island. Calypso, Soca Pan and Mas, our culture is so infectious it makes you want to see, feel, touch and learn more! The steel pan is now worldwide. It’s truly fascinating to see how other cultures have embraced it!
Vidale: The steel pan was born out of necessity. The spirit of the drum is the heartbeat of its people. The steel pan and its community are inclusive, allowing for friendships to form through music, transcending race, religion, gender and borders.
Time your next visit to the Gallery so you can also enjoy one of La Pierre and Vidale’s performances. The dates and times are listed here and stay tuned for more interactive programming with Fragments of Epic Memory. Read about how the AGO’s Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs came to be here.
Source: https://ago.ca/agoinsider/instrument-cultural-resistance
AGO LIVE: SONIC SATURDAYS - STEEL PAN
WHEN: Saturdays, September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 16, 1-3 pm
WHERE: Walker Court, Art Gallery of Ontario
Join musicians Earl La Pierre Jr. and Suzette Vidale for live steel pan performances in Walker Court. Originating from Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century, these hammered, shiny metal pans are an icon of musical energy found in the streets, festivals and now cultural and educational institutions.
Earl La Pierre Jr., known as ESP (Extraordinary Steel Pannist), came onto the scene in 1987, when he started playing with Afropan Steel Orchestra. Four years later, he started playing as a soloist, and he’s now one of Toronto’s premiere steel pannists. Earl is currently manager of Canada’s #1 steelband, Afropan Steelband, and a founding member of Pan Arts Network (PAN), dedicated to showcasing the steel pan artform on larger concert stages. He’s played at major events like Caribana, Snowflakes on Steel, Autumn Leaves on Steel, du Maurier Jazz Festival and Pan Jazz, and he has played with world-renowned pannists such as Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Ray Holman and his father, Earl La Pierre Sr.
Suzette Vidale is an innovative steelpan artist. With roots in Trinidad, the home of the steelpan, Suzette has incorporated the rich and vibrant cultures of Toronto into her diverse repertoire. As an ambassador of steelpan, she has introduced many people to this instrument, its history, and its unique sound through educational workshops and performances. Her love of working with children lets her merge craft with education, and teach with a focus on cooperation and team building through the steelpan. Wholeheartedly passionate about her pride in the steelpan, Suzette shares her craft with people from all walks of life and welcomes everyone to join her on her journey of "educating, entertaining and inspiring."
From hack-a-thons to Wakanda, U of T celebrates Black History Month with virtual events
The pandemic halted in-person events of all kinds, but it isn’t stopping the University of Toronto community from celebrating Black History Month.
February is packed with online events, ranging from a discussion of Afrofuturism and the world-building of Wakanda to U of T’s marquee Black History Month Luncheon, which is celebrating its 19th year.
Here's a snapshot of what’s taking place virtually across U of T’s three campuses this month.
Click to see BHM listings.
PHOTO
Drummer Suzette Vidale performs during last year's Black History Month Luncheon – one of many Black History Month events at U of T that will be held virtually this year.
Photo credit: Johnny Guatto.
Article by: Geoffrey Vendeville & Yanan Wang - U of T News
Source: https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/hack-thons-wakanda-u-t-celebrates-black-history-month-virtual-events