Mrs. Merle Albino-de Coteau is a retired Director of Culture, in the
Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Women's Affairs. She is
a daughter of the soil having being born into a musical family in Success
Village, Laventille (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).
Albino-de
Coteau, besides being an organist at the Corpus Christi Roman Catholic
Church, in Success Village, Laventille is a teacher/lecturer at several
institutions throughout Trinidad and Tobago (T & T). She is also the
Music Director of Music Makers' a music school that was founded thirty (30)
years ago at which she continues to use her expertise in guiding the
students to success in their music education. Albino-de Coteau is
Editor of the book "Learning Can Be Fun."
Mrs. Albino-de Coteau, a
graduate of Mc Gill University, Canada and of the University of the West
Indies (UWI) is also the holder of several awards for contribution to music
in T & T. She was honoured on the twentieth (20th) anniversary of the
National Woman's Action Committee for her contribution to Culture, in
particular the Calypso Aft form in February 2004. She is also one of
the recipients of a Kwanza Award (2001), a nation award, the Humming Bird
Medal (1993), and a Sunshine Awards (1989) at Brooklyn Academy of Music
(BAM), for her contribution to culture, particularly for calypso and
steelband activities.
Her experience as an arranger
began way back in 1969 with Chase Manhattan Bank Savoys' (no defunct) which
gave her the distinction of being the first Female to arrange a Panorama
Selection "Mas in May by Sparrow." She continued arranging for several
bands, including her schools' steelband, Mt. Hope Junior Secondary "Is de
Mas' in we by Sparrow" and Music Makers' "Toco Band" by Kitchener, and the
Pan Handlers' Steel Orchestra for whom she arranged "Ritual Fire dance by De
Falla for "Pan is Beautiful" II in 1982.
Mrs. Albino-de Coteau, is still
an adjudicator of many competitions including the World's Steelband Music
Festival (2002-2004); Panorama in T & T (from 1973-2005); Panoramas in
Antigua, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent; Labour Day in Brooklyn, NY (since
1975-2004); Montreal Carnival (from 1980-86); Music Festivals in Grenada and
St. Vincent (in 1980s); Parang Competitions (1991-1995); the National Joint
Action Committee (NJAC) Calypso Competitions (1980-2004), City Bank's
"Twelve and Under" (1994-2002), with Hazel Ward Redman and "Scouting for
Talent" (a talent show in T & T) from (2000-2002).
She is a lecturer for the
Republic Bank Pan Minors Scholarship Programme, and at the Centre for
Creative and Festival Arts (CCFA) at UWI. She is currently Programme
Co-ordinator for the National Steel Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago (NSOTT),
and the Co-ordinator of the music literacy programme for Pan Trinbago's Pan
Tuning Programme. She has been a panelist on many a forum, including a
recent Symposium on the Contribution of Women to the Steelband Movement at
Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, USA.
Mrs. Albino-de Coteau is also
one of the examiners for the Solo Pan Examinations at the CCFA, of the UWI.
She also conducts steelband courses in Invaders' Panyard for nurses attached
to Port-of-Spain General and St. Ann's hospitals. She teaches youth in
St. Mathias Church in the Laventille area to play pan. Mrs. Albino-de
Coteau is married and is the mother
Michael de Coteau and grandmother of Nyasha and Aneysha de Coteau.
