Steel Drums Festival Brings Music of the Islands to The Masonic Amphitheatre
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On Sunday, September 28 at 4:00 pm the music coming from the stage of the award-winning Masonic Amphitheatre will transport anyone listening to the Islands of the Caribbean. Close your eyes and feel the gentle ocean breezes as Spiritual Steel returns by popular request with their steel drums and a whole lot more, to play for the Alleghany Highlands.
Join Spiritual Steel, sponsored by the Clifton Forge Presbyterian Church and the Masonic Amphitheatre, and their special guests. Be prepared for a high energy music extravaganza for the entire family. John Hillert says, “You are in store for a music concert unlike any you have ever attended. The stage will be filled with steel drums from the Caribbean, guitars, trumpets and even Mariachi musicians as the air is charged with music from the islands and Mexico. The range of musical styles will astound your ears as you listen to calypso, rock, jazz , blues, beach music, hymn favorites and a touch of Old Mexico as well. Instrumentalists will enhance the bands’ sound and vocalists will contribute to the island music vibe. You will hear it all, laugh a lot and have a wonderful afternoon”. Admission: Donation
“Spiritual Steel” was the brain child of Delilah and Richard Rudolph, owners of Quest Academy in Roanoke. Delilah and Richard went on a cruise in the summer of 1999 and fell in love with the sound of the steel drums that were played on the ship. Deciding that they had to learn how to play the instrument, they enrolled in the Ellie Mannette Steel Drum workshop in Morgantown, West Virginia, and spent a week learning to play pan. Ellie Mannette is considered the “father” of the Steel Drum and was born in 1926 in Souci, Trinidad. After taking Ellie Mannette’s workshop, Delilah immediately purchased a lead drum and started practicing. By December, Delilah had played with the choir at Covenant Presbyterian Church, where she is the Assistant Director of Music. The sound of the pan was well received, so Richard and Delilah started purchasing drums of different voices (sizes) and “Spiritual Steel” was formed in the spring of 2001.
The origin of the steel drum began when Ellie Mannette discovered that if he reshaped a dust bin, he could get different notes out of one dust bin. The instrument, if you could call it that, was affectionately called a "ping pong" because of the sounds it made.
He next developed a new concave drum out of 35 gallon barrels. This allowed him nine notes (or pitches) on his drum. In 1946, using a 55 gallon oil barrel, Mannette developed a new “lead drum” that contained 14 pitches. He showed the drum to no one, but unveiled it at a competition, drawing it from a sugar sack and playing Beethoven’s Für Elise and Brahms’ Lullaby. He won the competition. This pan eventually became the “lead” pan which is the mainstay of steel bands today.
The Masonic Amphitheatre grounds will be enhanced with Island décor and Island food and punch will be available for attendees’ enjoyment.
Admission to the “Spiritual Steel” concert at the Masonic Amphitheatre, 513 Church Street, Clifton Forge, is a free-will donation. The entrance tent will open at 3:00 p.m. For more information regarding upcoming Theatre events, please visit www.historicmasonictheatre.com. | | | | | |
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