Meet Le´Roi Simmonds of the US Virgin Islands - Steelpan Performing Artist

Le´Roi Simmonds participated in ‘PanoGrama 2021.’  His instrument was made and tuned by Kyle Dunleavy.

Le´Roi Simmonds is a steel pan artist from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, with a Bachelor's Degree in Pop Music from Florida Memorial University, and a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies from New York University. At the age of ten, Le´Roi started playing the steel pan with the Downstreet Pandemonium Steel Orchestra. Today, as an adult he specializes in performance, arranging, and education. Le´Roi currently teaches steel pan at the Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School where he and his colleagues are always working mentoring the youth of the Virgin Islands.

With almost 25 years of experience, Le´Roi has traveled around the Caribbean and the United States, winning various awards, such as the Virginia Panorama Caribbean Festival, Florida Memorial University Research and Performing Arts Day in Miami, the Music USA Festival in Orlando, and the Trinidad and Tobago National Junior Steelband Panorama, to name a few.  Some of Simmonds′ recorded works include steel bands such as the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra (St. Thomas), E. Benjamin Oliver Steel Owls (St. Thomas), Florida Memorial Steel Band (Miami), and St. Margaret’s Steel Orchestra (Trinidad).

With a plethora in his arsenal, Le´Roi is constantly looking to advance the musical movement in the Virgin Islands and around the world.

Bio provided to When Steel Talks by: L. SIMMONDS