The concert will feature the NIU Steelband under the direction of Liam Teague and assisted by Yuko Asada, the All-University Steelband co-directed by Joshua Bedeau and Jalen Charles and the CSA Steelband directed by Asada.
Performing with the steelbands are the DeKalb High School Steelband directed by Steve Lundin, the NIU Jazz Orchestra directed by Reggie Thomas and the NIU Steelband 50th Anniversary Choir conducted by Mary Lynn Doherty.
The NIU Steelband was founded in 1973 by Al O’Connor, former associate dean of Music, and head of percussion studies. He was at the forefront of the development of the steelband art form in North America, and his pioneering work influenced the formation of steelband orchestras at educational institutions throughout the USA and Asia.
The NIU Steelband was the first actively performing steelband at an American university. Under the direction of O’Connor and the late Clifford Alexis—whom Al convinced to join the staff at NIU—the band made many significant and memorable appearances including its performances at Yankee Stadium; PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention), where they were the first steelband to perform at the convention; World of Drumming Festival in Seoul (2002), and two tours of Taiwan.
In the early 1990s, together with Clifford Alexis, O’Connor was able to convince Lester Trilla, CEO of the Trilla Drum Company in Chicago, to implement a scholarship fund which would assist students primarily from the Caribbean to pursue music studies at NIU. Trilla agreed to do so, and through his philanthropy, a great number of students have been able to attain music degrees and go on to have successful careers in their respective homelands.
Liam Teague is Professor of Music and Director of Steelpan Studies at Northern Illinois University (NIU), where he also leads the renowned NIU Steelband. Teague is the recipient of an NIU Board of Trustees Professorship Award (2022) and a Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor Award (2018).
Hailed as the “Paganini of the Steelpan”, his commitment to demonstrating the great musical possibilities of the steelpan has taken him to throughout the world, and he has received many awards from his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, including the Hummingbird National Award (Silver) and the Ansa McAl Caribbean Award for Excellence. In 2022, The San Fernando City Council honored Teague with the Keys to the City of San Fernando, his hometown in Trinidad and Tobago.
Yuko Asada is a musical instrument technician and director of the NIU Community School of the Arts Steelband at Northern Illinois University. Yuko was first introduced to steelpan tuning by Ellie Mannette while studying for her Bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University. She further honed her skills and passion for steelpan by completing a Master of Music degree and a Performer’s Certificate specializing in steelpan construction from NIU, where she had the opportunity to work closely with Clifford Alexis.
The program includes a performance of “Still Here” dedicated to O’Connor, Alexis and Trilla.
Special guest performers include Permanent Representative of Belize to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Lynn Young and His Worship Junia Regrello, Mayor of the City of San Fernando, in Trinidad and Tobago. Other guest performers include Davon Roberts (drum set), Todd Donnelly (steelpan), Paul G. Ross (drum set), Ella Barribeau, Dzana Bogalijevik, Logan Bryant, KaLilah Chears, Naomi Dutton, Nat Garbe, Ethan Gonzalez, MJ Harr, Caroline Menzer, Emily Montelongo, Alexia Quinn, Korbyn Ringer, Clare Steffes, Michael Tuskey, Emma Vaughn, Olivia Wells, Josanne Francis, Evon Sams (saxophone), Khan Cordice (double second steelpans), Rich Holly, Greg Beyer, Ben Wahlund, Jean Christophe Leroy, Phil Beale, Mardra Thomas, Sean O’Connor, Chih-I Hsaio (erhu), Cornelius Johnson, Kenneth Joseph, Nicole Riordan and Nicolas Barrios.
Program
Brute Force
Arr. G. Allan O’Connor
Still Here
Evan Jacobson
Performance dedicated to G. Allan O’Connor, Dr. Clifford Alexis, and Les Trilla
NIU 50th Anniversary Choir
Mary Lynn Doherty, conductor
Sean O’Connor, narration
You Can Call Me Al
Paul Simon
Arr. Zahra Lake
Josanne Francis, soloist
DeKalb High School Steelband; Steve Lundin, director
Song to the Chiricahua
Clifford Alexis
Matthew Kiser, lead pan
Evon Sams, saxophone
Khan Cordice, double second steelpans
Address; Paul Kassel, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts
Community School of the Arts (CSA) Steelband
Pan 2000 (prelude) – Funky Town
Cliff Alexis, Steven Greenburg
arr. Yuko Asada
NIU Steelband
Wood’n Steel
Robert Chappell
-Intermission-
Lovely Day
Bill Withers/ Skip Scarborough
Arr. Christian Melhado
Liam Teague, NIU Board of Trustees professor, presidential research, scholarship and artistry professor and head of steelpan studies in the NIU School of Music was honored with the Key to the City of San Fernando in his native country of Trinidad and Tobago at a ceremony on November 30 in San Fernando.
In a letter sent to Teague by Junia Regrello, mayor of San Fernando, Regrello wrote Teague’s honor is in “recognition of your tremendous achievements over the years, as you have been flying the San Fernando flag, both as a cultural ambassador and an educator.”
The ceremony was covered by Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday, including photos and Teague’s expression of hope that he can perform more often in his native country.
Teague directs the world-renowned NIU Steelband, the oldest university steelband in the United States, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. Teague earned both his bachelor and master of music degrees at NIU where he studied under and worked with Al O’Connor and Clifford Alexis, among others, who helped establish and make the NIU Steelband one of the best in the world.
Teague has been dubbed the “Paganini of the Steelpan” and has performed around the world and received many awards from his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, including the Hummingbird National Award and the ANSA McAl Caribbean Award for Excellence.
He has created arrangements for the most celebrated steelband competition in the world, Panorama–held annually in Trinidad and Tobago, for Nutrien Silver Stars Steel Orchestra, Harvard Harps Steel Orchestra, Starlift Steel orchestra, and Skiffle Steel Orchestra. He has many recordings to his credit, including: Hands Like Lightning, For Lack of BetterWords, Panoramic:Rhythm Through an Unobstructed View and Open Window.
Liam Teague, Professor of Music and Head of Steelpan Studies in the School of Music has added to his impressive list of accomplishments with his selection as a 2022 Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees Professor.
Liam Teague has been selected as a 2022 Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees Professor.
Teague is a world-renowned performer and composer. He is one of the leading figures in creating and commissioning new solo steelpan and steelpan orchestral works, many of which have been published and performed by esteemed ensembles like the National Steel Symphony of Trinidad and Tobago and soloists at venues like Carnegie Hall. He has performed at concert venues from Madison Square Garden, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Symphony Center in Chicago, the Teatro Nacional de Panama in Panama City, Teatro Nacional de Costa Rico in San Jose, to The Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Teague was originally drawn to NIU as a student from Trinidad and Tobago to study under NIU Steelband founders Al O’Connor and Cliff Alexis. Teague was a 2018 recipient of an NIU Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professorship and has devoted the majority of the award to engaging composers to create innovative pieces for solo steelpan and with non-steelpan instruments (piano, violin, percussion ensemble, etc.) Several of these works have been embedded into NIU’s steelpan majors’ curriculum and Teague feels they will be beneficial to generations of steelpan musicians by providing access into musical avenues which have been largely untapped.
“Professor Teague is an inspiration. Deeply soulful and committed in his artistry, extremely careful and organized in his planning, Liam has cultivated a crystal-clear vision to transform the steelpan into an instrument of supreme virtuosity that can stand alongside the violin as a premiere concert solo instrument,” said Greg Beyer, Professor and Director of Percussion Studies at NIU. “As a result of his relentless pursuit of excellence, his reputation proceeds him nationally and internationally. He is known in percussion circles as the ‘Paganini of the steelpan.’ This is neither exaggeration nor hyperbole. Teague’s performances feature blistering virtuosity astonishingly delivered with clarity and grace.”
Recent NIU School of Music graduate Jaron Woodsley, who earned bachelor’s degrees in both music performance and music education, says Teague brings the world to the program. “He goes beyond the call of duty for his students, and others, in any way possible. Such is his commitment to his students that he does not want them to miss contact hours, so he has his lessons online wherever in the world he may be, even when there’s a significant time difference. He seeks out young and upcoming steelpan musicians from all over the world to study with him and other faculty members at NIU, broadening and further diversifying the program.”
Michael Bump, Professor and Director of Percussion Studies at Truman State University, first encountered Teague nearly 30 years ago when Bump, then a graduate student at the University of Illinois saw him perform on a tenor pan for U of I students and faculty. “None present had ever witnessed such flights of virtuosity on pan, the demonstration leaving an indelible awareness that a defining artistic experience had just taken place,” Bump said. “In the years since, Liam and I have had several opportunities to professionally interact, including on four different occasions when he has been my invited guest artist clinician at both Ohio State University and Truman State. Throughout this span of time, the young virtuoso of that first encounter has blossomed into an internationally revered performing artist, teacher, and composer. In Liam, the people of Trinidad and Tobago gifted the world a tireless ambassador of the unique musical voice that is pan. How fortunate the NIU community is to have such a dedicated life-long learner. One who embraces the art of the question, patiently and tirelessly sharing the wealth of his knowledge with those around him.”
Avery Attzs came to NIU to follow a similar path to Teague. He studied under him for six years. “As a young boy growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, the name ‘Liam Teague’ was a familiar one,” Attzs said. “Oftentimes it was used as a noun to describe someone who showed exceptional talent or promise when it came to playing the steelpan. Although incredibly humble, Liam Teague is considered a legend and is held in the highest regard by the global steelpan community. He continues to bring great pride to the people of Trinidad and Tobago as he promotes Trinidadian culture to the highest degree. Through his commissioning of new music for the steelpan and his dedication to bringing diverse musicians together, he continues to blaze the trail of excellence as he works to push the steelpan to new heights.”
Teague has also taught and performed for the past 25 years at Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Door County, Wisc., and has also taught and performed at the California State University Summer Arts Camp and at the Interlochen Academy for the Performing Arts.
Teague is the author of a steelpan method for beginners published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, the world’s largest publisher of print music.
He has created arrangements for the most celebrated steelband competition in the world, Panorama, for Nutrien Silver Stars Steel Orchestra, Harvard Harps Steel Orchestra, Starlift Steel orchestra, and Skiffle Steel Orchestra. He has many recordings to his credit, including Hands Like Lightning, For Lack of Better Words, Panoramic: Rhythm Through an Unobstructed View and Open Window.
The annual spring concert of the NIU Steelband, All-University Steelband, and CSA Steelband features guest vocalists, musicians, the DeKalb High School Steelband, the DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir, Banda NIU, Dance Dimensions Company and more. The concert will be held in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building, Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online at niumusic.universitytickets.com and are $5 for adults, $3 for non-NIU students and NIU students are free with a pre-reserved ticket.
The NIU Steelband is directed by Liam Teague, NIU Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor, Professor of Music and Head of Steelpan Studies. Yuko Asada, co-directs the NIU Steelband and is the director of the Community School of the Arts (CSA) Steelband. The All-University Steelband is co-directed by graduate assistants Joshua Bedeau and Jalen Charles.
The program includes Reggie Thomas, NIU Professor of Music and Head of Jazz Studies on bass and his wife Mardra Thomas on vocals joining Teague for an arrangement of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s My Funny Valentine.
The NIU Steelband will perform Dreams, written by Teague and dedicated to the legacy of the late Clifford Alexis, who co-founded the Steelband in 1985 with Al O’Connor.
They will be joined by the DeKalb High School Steelband to perform Asada’s arrangement of Bruno Mars’ Leave the Door Open, and by the DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir on Cradle Hymn, adapted by Bedeau and dedicated to the memory of Les Trilla a longtime supporter and benefactor of the steelband.
William Goldenberg, Distinguished Teaching Professor and Head of Keyboard Studies at NIU will perform with the NIU Steelband on Mozart’s Concerto in d minor for piano and orchestra, a piece that will be conducted by Thomas Bough, NIU Professor of Music, Conductor of Wind Symphony and Head of Athletic Bands.
The NIU Steelband will also perform a Roberto De Leon arrangement of Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol’s Caravan, and the DHS Steelband will also perform Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling and Matthew Schneider’s arrangement of Arturo Sandoval’s Mambo Caliente. The School of Music’s newest ensemble Banda NIU will perform De Leon’s arrangement of Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga’s El Toro Mambo. Banda is the most popular subgenre of Mexican music and features brass, clarinets, percussion and singers. Banda NIU is directed by Christopher Scanlon, Assistant Professor of Music.
In a piece conducted by Asada and arranged by NIU alum Abe Breiling, the NIU Steelband will play Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor “Moonlight” as the Dimensions Dance Academy performs.
The world premiere performance of Landscapes, written by Dr. James Gourlay will feature Gourlay on tuba and Teague on steelpan.
The All-University Steelband will perform Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and the CSA Steelband will perform Dr. Ray Holman’s O’ Trinidad, arranged by Asada.
The DeKalb High School Steelband is directed by Steve Lundin. The DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir is directed by Travis Erickson. Miranda Cortes is the director of Dimensions Dance Academy.
Matthew Kiser
Bachelor’s in Music Performance, emphasis in Steelpan Studies
What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you pursuing that as a major, or have you taken another path? As a kid, my interests were always evolving and changing. I always was interested in music, but I felt like I hadn’t found my voice yet. That all changed when I joined my high school Steelband. I loved playing the instrument and picked it up very quickly. As soon as I heard about NIU, I knew it was the place for me.
What is your favorite thing about studying and/or playing music at NIU? One of my favorite parts of studying music at NIU is getting to collaborate with people from many different backgrounds and cultures. As a member of the NIU Steelband and Steelpan Studio, I got to interact, learn from and become friends with people from the Caribbean and all over the United States.
Why did you choose NIU to study music?
I chose NIU because it is the only university in the country to offer both an undergraduate and graduate degree with an emphasis on the Steelpan as a primary instrument. Also, I could not pass up an opportunity to play with one of the world’s best, if not the best, Steelpan players in the world, Liam Teague.
Who has been one of your favorite instructors/professors and why? Easily professor Liam Teague, director of the NIU Steelband and my primary lessons instructor. Not only is Liam an amazing player, but he is a fantastic educator who truly cares about all of his students.
Where is your favorite spot on campus or in the community? Why are you drawn to it? The East Lagoon. It is the perfect spot to unwind after a long day!
What advice would you give to a student who is applying to colleges?
Follow your passion, whatever it is. You are going to be spending a lot of time studying your chosen degree, so it better be something you are truly passionate about!
Coming to college, what is something that you have had to learn to do differently? I had to learn how to manage my time more effectively. Juggling music classes, gen eds and rehearsals was a daunting task as a freshman and is something I had to adapt to overtime.
What do you do to relax or recharge? Playing video games, watching a movie, or taking a walk outside are all things I like to do to relax.
As a kid, my interests were always evolving and changing. I always was interested in music, but I felt like I hadn’t found my voice yet. That all changed when I joined my high school Steelband. I loved playing the instrument and picked it up very quickly. As soon as I heard about NIU, I knew it was the place for me.
