DeKalb,
Illinois, USA -
Northern Illinois University
(NIU) Steelband presents its 2011 Spring
concert under the direction of Liam
Teague and Clifford Alexis on Sunday
April 17th at 3 p.m. The concert takes
place at NIU School of Music’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall, and
will also feature Miami University
(Ohio) Steelband, under the
direction of Dr. Chris Tanner.
The last major steelband concert at
NIU was
in the fall of 2010, and was
broadcast live via internet for
steelpan enthusiasts all over the
world. Panist Victor Provost was
guest artiste for the evening.
The
Miami University Steel Band was
founded in 1994 with a complement of
ten players and six instruments.
Under the leadership of founder and
director Chris Tanner, the program
has grown to encompass two separate
ensembles with a combined enrollment
of over sixty members, and
twenty-five university-owned
instruments. The ensemble is one of
the most active in the Cincinnati
area, performing over twenty times
annually in settings ranging from
school outreach programs to guest
appearances with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra. The goal of the
Miami University Steel Band is to
present excellent performances of
quality literature in the steel band
idiom, with a special emphasis on
original music by contemporary
composers.
Special
guest artiste Cornelius Johnson
(tenor) will join the NIU Steelband
on Puccini’s
Nessun Dorma from “Turandot” and
E Lucevan le Stelle
from “Tosca”.
American tenor Cornelius Johnson,
quickly gained attention as an
artist in
opera, concert, and as a recitalist.
His performances have been described
as “refreshing, sparkling, and
exciting.” Mr. Johnson made his
professional operatic debut in
Houston Grand Opera’s production of
Porgy and Bess, touring major houses
in the United States, as well as the
Opera Bastille in Paris, France; the Teatro alla Scala
in Milan, Italy and the Bunkamura Theater, with
the Tokyo Philharmonic.
