Global - On behalf of the Codrington Pan Family Steel Orchestra I am pleased to inform you that our group has been selected as the first act of its kind to participate in the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. The event is scheduled to run from 17-22 March 2015. This is the very festival at which our own Bunji Garlin and his band Asylum were invited to perform in 2014 to an extremely diverse audience of over 50, 000 people and which was carried by media networks across countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom (to cite a few).
Therefore, you can well imagine the tremendous opportunities that this will afford both our tourism and creative industries. The Codrington Pan Family not only has the chance to introduce the versatility of our national instrument but also to promote our islands as the ideal recreational and conference destination.
Attending the festival will bring us into contact with music producers, managers, record labels, booking agents, etc. from various parts of the world. These music business executives will now have their attention focused on Trinidad and Tobago and the marketability of the steelpan. This is especially important as we are on the heels of hosting the International Conference and Panorama 2015 (ICP).
Although we have received partial sponsorship from the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism, we are still in need of financial assistance to further care for expenses.
As such, I am writing to ask for your support in making this visit a success. If anyone wishes to assist, please feel free to contact us at the information below.
Upon returning from the festival, it is our hope to inform steelbands and panists of the level of professionalism that is required by the international music industry and to help such groups and individuals to prepare for opportunities such as this one.
Yours truly,
Khari Codrington
Band Leader
Codrington Pan Family
Mobile: 1 868-477-2852
Email: panfamilytt@yahoo.com