A taste of Mardi Gras in October

The Cornell College Steel Drum Ensembles will perform a Mardi Gras-influenced concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9 in King Chapel as part of the college’s Homecoming and Family Weekend. The concert is free and open to the public.

This Friday’s concert will feature calypso music, pieces by Professor Longhair, and other steel drum favorites.

Pandemonium was formed in 1997 and has since toured the southern United States and traveled abroad to perform at Carnival in Nice, France.  At Carnival they were the only group invited to represent the United States, and they played in numerous parades and before crowds as large as 500,000.

The group offers an exuberant, eclectic experience and membership open to all students regardless of major.  While performers must audition for Pandemonium, a beginners’ group, Pans II, is open to novices.

Directed by Martin Hearne and accompanied by the Calypso Singers, Pandemonium plays traditional calypso music as well as works ranging from the band Rush to The Beatles. The group has also been known to perform some of the great literature of other ensembles such as Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” Gershwin’s “Prelude No. 2,” and Beethoven’s  “Adagio Cantabile.”

The group performs a major concert each semester and is also a popular attraction at less formal events on campus and in the area.  About 30 students participate, with practices held daily at 5:15 p.m.