Meet Hanif Goodridge of Trinidad & Tobago - Steelpan Performing Artist

Hanif Goodridge has returned to participate once more in PanoGrama, having placed 7^th in the 2021 final.  His instrument was made and tuned by Andy Neils.

Hanif Goodridge has been performing musically for the past 18 years; his musical career began at the tender age of 8 years at his primary school St Margaret’s Boys AC in Belmont, Trinidad, where they won several Panorama competitions. During his growing years he affiliated himself with steel orchestras such as Pan-Demonium Steel Orchestra, Gonzales Sheikers, Trinidad All Stars and several others. After finishing secondary school in 2013 he joined ‘Hands of Rhythm’ – a rhythm section consisting of Percussion and Brass instruments. His love for the steelpan has allowed him to travel the length and breadth of Trinidad and Tobago and the islands.

In 2014 he pursued his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the Academy of the Performing Arts in music, graduating in 2019 with honours (Magna Cum Lorde). Whilst there he joined a steel ensemble “Suave Steel,” which consists of past students of the Academy of the Performing Arts (APA, UTT). Arranging for the school’s internal Panorama, his band ‘Heavy Hitters Steel Ensemble’ came third in 2017 and later became champions in 2018 with his arrangement of ‘Full of Vibes’ by Voice and Marge Blackman.

Today, Hanif is employed as a Music Teacher at Corpus Christi Girls College. However, he continues to perform as a freelance soloist in which he has appeared with noted Jazz performers Elan Trotman, Vaughnette Bigford and Theron Shaw. He has also performed with local soca artistes such as GBM Nutron, Nadia Batson, Erphaan Alves and several others. He is currently in collaboration with the world-renowned Tabla master from India, Arshad Khan, who is the Tabla instructor at the Mahatma Ghandi Institute in Chaguanas.

Hanif is also a member of the Caribbean Renaissance Jazz Group under the direction of Mr David Boothman and remains as a stage side member of the Suave Steel Ensemble. He is also the Panorama arranger for Woodbrook Modernaires and Belmont 5^th Dimension.

Bio provided to When Steel Talks by: H. GOODRIDGE