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CSA Steelband to perform May 6

April 23, 2013

CSA SteelbandThe CSA Steelband will perform at 8 p.m. Monday, May 6, in the Recital Hall of the NIU Music Building.

This free event is open to the public. The group will perform a variety of tunes that members have been rehearsing during the semester.

Acclaimed musician and teacher Yuko Asada directs the ensemble.

Pieces to be performed are “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley, “Imagine,” by John Lennon and “Congo Man – Mighty Sparrow,” arranged by Asada. The CSA Steelband will be joined on other tunes by members of the NIU Steelband.

The CSA Steelband is an ensemble for those in the community who are 14 or older and who would enjoy learning to play this amazing instrument in a fun ensemble setting.

Yuko Asada

Yuko Asada

Rehearsals for the fall semester begin in September. The ensemble meets at 7 p.m. Mondays. There is no need to purchase a pan because the band room is accessible at various times during the week for practice. Rudimentary knowledge of music is a plus, but not necessary.

Instruments in one of the six voices that range from soprano to bass are assigned to students, who learn to play several pieces in the traditional calypso style, as well as classical, rock and rhythm ’n’ blues. A highlight of the semester is a master class taught by NIU faculty member Liam Teague, a prominent figure in the world-wide steel pan community and head of the Steel Band at NIU.

The CSA Steelband is one of seven ensembles offered by the NIU Community School of the Arts. The program also has classes in music, art, and theatre for children and adults, as well as private lessons. The summer semester begins in June.

For more information, call (815) 753-1450.