Steel Drum Ensembles perform Jan. 26 pre-tour concert

Cornell College’s Steel Drum Ensembles will heat up the King Chapel stage with a pre-tour concert on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. These high-energy ensembles will take their concert on the road for a tour that includes a performance in the Hart Performing Arts Series in Hart, Michigan. 

Panarchy, Pandemonium, Calypso Horns, and the Calypso Singers are hitting the road again, this time for a four-day Block Break tour of the Upper Midwest. The ensembles play a wide array of music including traditional calypso, contemporary rock, jazz, and even orchestral works.

Cornell’s steel drum program and its bands have toured extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. In 2016 nearly 30 Cornell students celebrated Mardi Gras while on tour in New Orleans, playing their way down St. Charles Avenue in four parades seen by more than a million people.

The steel drum program was created 20 years ago by Professor of Music Martin Hearne, who directs Panarchy, Pandemonium, and Calypso Horns. Professor of Music Lisa Hearne directs the Calypso Singers.

The tour will include these performances:

Feb. 7
Wilton Elementary School, Wilton, Iowa (2 performances)
Wilton High School, Wilton, Iowa (1 performance)

Feb. 8
Franklin Fine Arts Center, Chicago (1 performance)

Feb. 9
Hart High School Band, Hart, Michigan (1 performance)
Hart Middle School Band, Hart, Michigan (3 performances)
Hart High School – Hart, Michigan (1 performance)
Hart Elementary/Middle School – Hart, Michigan (1 performance)
Hart Performing Arts Series – Gala Performance as part of Concert Series