Oberlin, Ohio, USA
- Oberlin Steel is a student-run steelband from Oberlin College
in Oberlin, Ohio.
Currently led by musical
directors Zeke Runyon and
Zach Diamond,
Oberlin Steel was formed in
1980 and known as the
Oberlin Can Consortium until
2001. The group aims to play
in the tradition of the
great steelbands of Trinidad
& Tobago with a repertoire consisting
mostly of calypso and soca
tunes, past and present,
arranged or transcribed by
band members, but also plays
the occasional pop tune or
original composition.
Oberlin Steel performing in Philadelphia, PA on tour in 2008
A dance band in the
truest sense, the group
generally plays 10-15 shows
each year on campus and
regionally in northeastern
Ohio. After months of
rehearsing and performing,
the band heads south for a
week to escape the harsh
Ohio winters, touring for
the week of spring break in
late March. Recent
destinations include New
Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah,
Nashville, Washington DC,
Baltimore, Philadelphia,
Baton Rouge, New York, and
Chicago.
Performing in the French Quarter in New Orleans in 2009
This year,
the band’s main tour
destination will be
Savannah, Georgia. In
addition to a joint
concert with the Miami
University Steelband in
Oxford, Ohio, the band
will be performing a
series of free concerts
in Savannah -
Georgia, Charlottesville - Virginia, and
Washington D.C. next week.
Oberlin Steel performing at Oberlin College for Commencement 2008
The
group’s schedule is as
follows:
March 26:
joint concert with the Miami
University Steelband, Hall
Auditorium, Oxford, Ohio,
8:00 p.m. (tickets required)
March 28: Forsyth Park, Savannah,
Georgia , 12:30 p.m.
March 29: John Rousakis
Plaza, Savannah, Georgia , 12:30 p.m.
March 30: Tybee Island Pier,
Tybee Island, Georgia, 12:30 p.m.
April 1: Tandem Friends
School, Charlottesville,
Virginia,
1:00-2:00 p.m.
April 1:
Downtown Mall,
Charlottesville, Virginia,
4:00-5:00 p.m.
April 2:
Lincoln Memorial, Washington
D.C., 12:00-1:00 p.m.,
2:00-3:00 p.m.
April 3: FDR
Memorial, Washington D.C.,
12:00-1:00 p.m., 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Oberlin alum Zeev Saffir
with Sonatas in their
New York panyard, August
2009
Oberlin Steel is well
connected with the broader
steelband community. There has been a
long-standing tradition of
Oberlin Steel members and
alumni playing with
steelbands in Trinidad and
New York, bringing back
music and pan knowledge to
students at Oberlin. In the
late 1980s, a few alumni
played with Pandemonium in
Trinidad (1989: “Somebody”,
arr. Clive Bradley) and
Moods Pan Groove (1989: “Free Up”, arr. Len
“Boogsie” Sharpe); in the
1990s, students and alumni
played with Renegades, Pan
Rebels, and Metro Steel.
Oberlin alum Noah Smit
(in light blue cap) in
the ‘engine room’ on
stage with Sforzata for
Trinidad & Tobago
Panorama semi-finals,
2008
More recently, a few band
members ventured to the
Sonatas panyard in 2004 to
play over the summer (“War
2004”) under the direction
of Yohan Popwell. A
contingent of Oberlin Steel
students and alumni have
been playing with the band
ever since. For summer
2009, eight Oberlin Steel
students and alumni played
with Sonatas in their
winning rendition of “Bandoleros.”
A few band members have also
played with Sforzata in
Trinidad (2005, 2008, 2009)
as well as Renegades,
Trinidad All Stars,
Scherzando, and Harmonites.
Oberlin alum Stephen
Lind (in black & white
stripe) with Sonatas’ at
their New
York panyard, August
2008
Over the years, a few
students have turned these
Trinidad experiences into
college credits as Winter
Term projects, often writing
about their experiences and
the history of pan. The
steelband ensemble at
Oberlin isn’t itself a
college course. The
band is completely
student-run, independent of
the Oberlin Music
Department. However,
each semester, students from
the group teach a beginner’s
steelband course (called an
“ExCO” class at Oberlin) for
other students and members
of the community.
Oberlin’s Anne Thompson
(right) on stage with
Sonatas after their 2009
New York panorama
triumph
More information regarding upcoming performances can be found by
clicking here
or by emailing
osteel@oberlin.edu.
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