ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band was founded in 1994 with a complement of ten players and six instruments. Under the leadership of founder and director Chris Tanner, the program has grown to encompass two separate ensembles with a combined enrollment of over fifty members, and twenty-five university-owned instruments. The ensemble is very active, performing in a number of settings including on campus concerts, summer park venues and in-school outreach programs. The goal of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band is to present excellent performances of quality literature in the steel band idiom, with a special emphasis on original music by contemporary composers.

The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band is one of the few university bands to have released professional-quality recordings. The group produced four recordings between 2001 and 2009, which are available through Pan Ramajay Productions (www.ramajay.com), and also through the iTunes Music Store and other online services. The band released their fifth recording, 20, in celebration of their twentieth anniversary in April 2014. 

Aside from recordings, appearances at prestigious events have provided national and international recognition. The ensemble has twice headlined the Virginia International Panfest, and has appeared at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention three times. As the art form of pan grows in the 21st century, the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band aspires to be one of the leading programs in exemplifying excellence in performance, and in expanding the repertory for this unique ensemble.

Chris Tanner (D.M.A., West Virginia University, 2000) is the founder and director of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band. He first became interested in world music as an undergraduate student at West Virginia University, where he studied African percussion with Phil Faini, and had the opportunity to work closely with Trinidadian native Ellie Mannette, one of the pioneers of the steel pan art form. 

In the steel band idiom, Tanner is active as a performer, educator, and composer/arranger. In October 2011 he released his recording First Impression, featuring original music for steel band and jazz soloists. He has served as a guest clinician or performing artist at numerous festivals, workshops, high schools and universities. He is a frequently commissioned composer/arranger, and his works are published through Pan Ramajay Productions, Engine Room Publishing, and Sheet Music Direct. Most notably, Tanner is the author of The Steel Band Game Plan: Strategies for Starting, Building and Maintaining Your Pan Program, published by Rowman & Littlefield Education under the auspices of NAfME. This comprehensive resource, covering all fundamental topics relating to the development of a steel band program, is the first of its kind to be published through a major firm. Tanner is also a founding member, and serves as President, of the National Society of Steel Band Educators, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing steel band education in the United States. He served as Chair of the Department of Music from 2017-2023.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band

Liv Balicki

Olivia Barker

Baylie Barnhill

Noah Becker

Ella Bigony

Alyssa Black

Caroline Bricker

Annie Brown

Lucas Brown

Jake Burns

Rhiannon Campbell

Natalie Chance

Ian Christian

Katy Crim

Cheyenne Dalton

Savannah Darone

Dominik Ditmer

Dominic Donile

Cora Dunn

Jeremy Easter

Brianna Fitzgerald

Norah Green

Noah Griffiths

Aidan Hargett

Henry Harper

Maria Hisey

Adam Kirby

Makayla Lawson

Jeremy LeMaster

Aidan Leonard

AbbiGail Manning

Guy McGuire

Emma Menapace

Rebecca Mizer

Caleigh Naylon

Nick Oakley

Kris Osburn

Lilly Parker

Ireland Plott

Connor Polston

Brandon Rengering

Baylee Retherford

Lindsey Rohrig

Gabriel Sander

Katherine Schlabs

Luke Shaw

Sam Skinner

Eliza Sullivan

Julia Swope

Kelsie Tatro

Stephanie Thibeau

Zach Thompson

Will Van Verth

Aydan Wade

Isaac Wanko

Claire Weaver

Garland Weaver

Zara Zitko

MU Steel Band Alumni

April Barnhart

Jeff Barnhart

Mark Becknell

Sean Finnigan

Matt Flynn

Doug Gardner

Chris Herrmann

Kayleen Justus

Ed LeBorgne

Brian Malone

Taft Marsh

Madeline Marston

David Morgan

Tommy Nemitz

Mark Simmons

Donna Tanner

Andrew Thompson

Mike Wendeln

Special Guest Performers

Ginny Armstrong

Angela Jennings

Stephen Lawhorne

Seth Kilbourne

Nick Wilson

Aaron Ziegler

Meet Tracy Thornton, steelpannist, recording artist, performer, composer, clinician, producer, and drummer/percussionist. With a career spanning over 30 years, Tracy has established himself as an innovator and creator in the world of steelpan.

Tracy's contributions extend far beyond the stage, as he is known for sharing his wealth of steelpan knowledge at universities, colleges, public schools, and communities around the globe. Culturally, he has crossed four continents from the U.S. to Hawaii, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, England, Netherlands, France, and the Caribbean. He is often spotted performing with different bands at the prestigious Trinidad and Tobago Panorama competition.

Tracy's innovative steelpan style and fresh compositions have earned him a dedicated following for the fusion of steelpan music with the sound of rock, punk, and heavy metal. He boasts an impressive catalog of over CDs, with his compositions as a staple in steel band performances worldwide.

Tracy's impact reaches beyond the stage. His music has been featured in popular television shows like "NCIS: LA," "Workaholics," and even "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." Not to mention, his tracks have found their way into the hit video game "Fortnite."

In 2015, "Pan Rocks" made waves at PASIC in San Antonio, TX, with over 80 talented players. Tracy's collaborations include sharing the stage with renowned artists like Mike Portnoy, John Blackwell, Greg Bissonette, and Stephen Perkins. Fast forward to 2017, and Tracy assembled a group of pan players in Hollywood to produce the immersive "Pan Rocks Project LA." This project featured music legends like ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúy Sheehan, Tracii Guns, and Bruce Kulick. The success of this venture led to the "Pan Rocks RUSH" sessions, a tribute to the iconic band "RUSH." Notably, in 2020, Pan Rocks joined forces with Mike Portnoy, Stu Hamm, and Matt Starr to pay tribute to the late Neil Peart, the legendary drummer of Rush, at the NAMM Show.

During COVID lockdown, Tracy spearheaded two groundbreaking virtual music projects. The first with 100 pan players from eight different countries, collaborating with Stephen Perkins to perform The Who's "Baba O'Riley." This initiative evolved into the "Pan In Unity Project," the world's largest steelpan virtual recording, involving 700 participants from 25 countries. Tracy also featured in various other virtual projects, including the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash and the "Drum Him Out" video with drumming greats like Steve Gadd and Mark Schulman.

Tracy also teamed up with electric violinist Mark Wood and the University of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú of Ohio Steelband to merge steelpan with orchestra strings, resulting in a groundbreaking concert, "Steel & Strings," featuring over 175 musicians on a single arena stage.

As an innovator he is a critical part of the team that created the "Steelpan Pick Up", to amplify the sound of the steelpan instrument either while on the move, in the studio or on stage. With the advent of the Pan Pickup, Tracy has created his own sound by seamlessly being able to incorporate sound effects with the steelpan.

Tracy's skills extend to the studio, where he lays down steelpan, drum and percussion tracks for various bands and artists, including record producer Andrea Fanatic Heard and the Canadian percussion act Jamani Duo. He records, mixes, and masters music at his studio, "Pans Rock Studios" for a diverse range of artists, from steelpan acts to rock bands and commercial projects.

Based in Cincinnati, OH, Matt Wiles is an in-demand acoustic, electric, and synth bassist performing throughout the United States. Matt can be heard on stage with jazz/rock/fusion band Spherical Agenda, renowned drummer/ percussionist Walfredo Reyes Jr, trombonist/composer Sam Blakeslee's Wistful Thinking, Phil Collins-era Genesis Tribute Genesis Retouched, and many others. His playing is featured on the albums Arcane Wisdom (Spherical Agenda), The Long Middle (Wistful Thinking), Life's Moments (David McGlynn), and many more. Matt has performed with other highly acclaimed artists such as Snarky Horns, Il Divo, Nicole Zuraitis, Fareed Haque, The Drifters, and others.

Originally from Ann Arbor Michigan, Aaron Almashy moved to Cincinnati in 1994 to attend CCM and pursue studies in Jazz Studio Guitar and Electronic Media.

While attending the conservatory, Aaron quickly became an A-list guitarist and producer in the Cincinnati area and has been producing and performing in various projects for over 30yrs. Most notably, Aaron has been a guitarist for several popular Cincinnati bands such as “Ray’s Music Exchange”, “Noctaluca”, and “The Brian Newman Quartet”, as well as most of the guitar driven musical theater shows in the Cincinnati tristate area for the last 15 years. He has performed for Ensemble Theater, the Incline Theater, the Carnegie Theater, The Covedale Theater, The Human Race Theatre Company, CCM, NKU, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, Xavier University and more. In fall of 2021, Aaron began performing with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Pops.

As a music producer, Aaron owns his own recording studio and has been composing and producing music for television commercials and promotional material since 2001. His past clients include Ecco, Mentos, P&G, Sears, Cincinnati Bell, Baccarat Hotel, and The Ohio Lottery. His current audio production work with the band Root Cellar Xtract has earned the band over 1 million views on Youtube.

Before coming to CCM as an adjunct professor in 2015, Aaron spent several years swinging a boom as an A1/A2 sound mixer for reality tv shows, commercials, and movies, and has worked for Fox Sports, FYI, HGTV, PBS, Lifetime, Sony Pictures and more.

Aaron is currently an Assistant Professor of Audio Production in the Media Production department at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of music, where he shares his years of expertise with the next generation of young musicians, producers and engineers.

Biography

The Clark Montessori Steel Band (CMSB) has been performing lively arrangements and originals since 1994. With five steel bands, students in grades 7-12 are able to participate in the steel band as their primary ensemble. Projects and performances including hundreds of school and community events; 6 CDS; and special occasions such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the National Orff-Schulwerk Conference, three times with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, on NPR’s program “From the Top”, a joint concert with the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Steel Band and Ray Holman, and Pan Rocks concerts with Tracy Thornton. As part of our school’s community service mission, we have also performed benefit concerts to raise money for charitable organizations including SPCA, Max's Meals, Stepping Stones, Melodic Connections, Project Connect, Lighthouse Youth Services, Habitat for Humanity, ReSTOC, the Red Cross, the Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Forever Kings.

Personnel

Simone Adams

Charlotte Blase

Jadyn Broad

Nevaeh Brown

Spencer Crantford

Desi Distel

Matthew Fuller

Evan Grisby

Aiden Guinigundo

Dash Haggerty

Trinity Harris

Jaylah Helton

Mason Hunt

James Johnson

Gabriel Lockhart

Ta'riyah Lucas

Ashley Makonnen

Adalina Nagel

Ashley Nevares Reyes

Vaioleti Ongolea

Lucas Rosenberg

Logan Ross

Freddy Sachweh

Anthoy Smith

Lena Snyder

Saniyah Tarpeh

Biography

Blue Steel was founded in 2002 by John Krumm as the half time entertainment at football games. The school did not have a marching band at the time and so the steel band filled the performance spot at halftime. The band started with 16 members from both the middle and high school and has grown to over 90 students in both the middle and high school. The band plays many community performances in addition to their two regular concerts each year and can be found at the 4th of July street fair in Granville, the Lynd’s Market, and other local events. The band performs a wide selection of different music from the traditional caribbean music to pop tunes. Blue Steel has hosted such world-renowned pan players like Dr. Liam Teague from NIU, Dr. Chris Tanner from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, Tracy Thornton, Ray Holman, Jonathan Scales, and Grammy award winning artist Victor Provost. For more information about our upcoming events follow the Granville Bands on Facebook and Instagram. 

Personnel

Griffin Arundel

Liam Bates

Aubrey Baus

Drew Bergstrom

Riley Brady

Anabelle Burt

Julia Campbell

Jack Chico

Charlie Cholewa

Emory Coffey

Xander Connor

Owen Costa

Justin Cowie

Sophia Crestale

Sarah Crestale

Isaiah Cunningham 

Lily Curtis

Morgan Deafenbaugh

Ellerie Edson

Oliver Elkins

Kaitlyn Fallon

Cheryl Gu

James Gulledge

Ian Hageman

Jim Hampton

Cecilia Hannig

Sam Hannig

Max Holtsberry

Maddie Homan

Jeydan Hulse

June Hunkins

Joel Kaminicki 

Chyler Katona

Olivia Katona

Jacob King

Olivia Long

Jackson Lough

Emma Mathis

Quinn McCarthy

Henry Miles

Keegan Miller

Coleton Moore 

Andrew Morris

Roman Munoz

Sharky O'Connor

Ethan Overly

Stella Pargeon

Alyssa Persiani 

Joseph Ponton

Ande Potaracke

Benjamin Prokop

Daniel Prokop

Ashley Purvis

Hayes Pyle

Sebastian Rodgers

Abby Shapiro

Cooper Shaw

Sophia Shinka

Purin Songrug

Callum Sproul

Barrett Waggoner

Hanna Wagner

Lindsay Wildman

Davis WIlliamson

Augustus Wilson

Emma Wohlford

Skyler Zingraf

Assistant Director: Jason Lawson

Biography

Madison Steel Band was founded in the spring of 2002 by Dan Stoutenborough with the generous support of Madison Jr./Sr. High School’s administration and board of education. Since then, the group has gone on to perform in Florida outside of Disney World, annually at Day-Air Ballpark alongside the Dayton Dragons and regularly attends gathering-of-pan events with high schools in the south-west Ohio area. The current Madison Steel Band has twenty-three members filling out the instrumentation of its beginner and advanced steel band ensembles.

Personnel

Audrey Church

Ace Curp

Hayden Ellison

Brady Hamrick

Kira Justice

Noah Neeley

Aiden Ponder

Kendell Saunders

Ava Smith

Noah Troidl

Chakotay York

Biography

The National Trail Steel Band program was founded in 1999 with five members. Currently, there are 4 classes with students from grades 7-12 performing in a steel band. Over the years, the bands have performed at community events, senior citizen facilities, churches, festivals in the area and the Dayton Dragons. Our groups perform music from traditional soca and calypso music to pop and rock. In 2017, the Advanced Steel Band travelled to Virginia Beach for the Virginia International Pan Fest. This was the first time our school participated in the competition and the band received a Gold Rating. Last year, we celebrated 25 years of having a steel band program at National Trail.

Personnel

Macie Canan

Jacob Dickson

Jace Hoblit

Kyle Laird

Grace Osswald

Drew Rogers

Jamie Salyers

Jackson Skinner

Izak van Dam

Biography

The Richmond High School Steel Band, formed in 2007, is a growing program in Richmond, Indiana. Serving students on many different paths, the program has recently grown and now houses a beginning steel band and an advanced steel band and is continuously expanding. The band plays a wide variety of music, and bolsters 20 instruments for students to play.

Personnel

Zyla Drouillard

Edmund Ellison

Andrea Felsman-Goodwin

Jacob Gettinger

Lucas Griffin

Kayleeanna Jackson

Jayden Jimenez-Cruz

Marissa Johnson

Weston Jones

Hana Li

Michael-Allen Lynch-Seda

Conner Miller

Kade Mills

Stephen Mitchell

Noelle Marstellar

Brady Newton

Ella Oberle

Chase Reeves

Lya Santiago Lopez

Thunderhawk Shaw

Bailey Shinn

Biography

The Talawanda Steel Band, from Oxford Ohio, was established in the fall of 2008 and is a course offered during the school day at Talawanda High School. The focus of this ensemble is on multicultural music performance through the use of steel pans, other Latin percussion instruments, and sometimes an electric bass guitar. The Talawanda Steel Band is open to any student who is concurrently taking Marching Band, Concert Band Jazz Band, String Orchestra or Choir. Students must pass an audition or have a recommendation from the director to participate in this ensemble. The Talawanda Steel Band performs at many school and community events throughout the year.

Personnel

Sadie Abbitt

Hayden Cramer

Sam Douglass

Cameron Gieske

Grace Graham 

Addison Greene

Thea Holley

lyla Isgro

Victor Li

Katie Matix

Lyla McDaniel

Raegan Miles

Grady Pennington

Suly Perez Gomez 

Logan Rice 

Evelyn Villanueva

Blake Weddle

Biography

Founded in the fall of 2002 by director Ed LeBorgne, the Walnut Hills High School Steel Band has grown from a small group of 12 members to an impressive ensemble of over 60 musicians. Offering beginning, intermediate and advanced steel band classes as part of the WHHS music curriculum, the band continues to nurture and inspire students through the vibrant world of steel pan music.

In May 2003, the band earned 2nd place in the high school division of the inaugural Panorama Caribbean Festival in Virginia Beach, VA. Since then, the band has graced the stages of prestigious events including the 2005 and 2012 OMEA Conventions as well as the 2008 MENC Convention in Milwaukee, WI.

The Walnut Hills High School Steel Band has had the honor of collaborating with steel pan legends such as Andy Narell, Ray Holman, Tom Miller, Tracy Thornton, Liam Teague, and Chris Tanner. The band also embarked on East Coast tours in 2005 and 2007, performing in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Ocean City, MD.

Most recently, the band performed at the 2019 National Society of Steelband Educators Conference and the 2022 Blink Art and Music Festival, further solidifying its reputation for excellence in the world of steel pan music. With a rich history and continued dedication to the craft, the Walnut Hills High School Steel Band remains a cornerstone of the school's music program and a beloved cultural ambassador.

Personnel

Henry Althoff

Nate Berry

Joseph Burr

Lewis Cooney

Hollis Davies

Knox Dowell

Eric Johnson

Nathan Macsotai

Godlove Nsang

Katherine Rayburn

Justin Rosebrook

Marlee Rush

Joshua Sanders

Leo Smith

Rose Vernon

Andrew Weber

Jay Westerkamp

Dr. Cristina Alcalde
VP, Institutional Diversity & Inclusion, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Jerome Conley
Dean of Libraries, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Sabrina Jewell,  
Outreach Coordinator, Oxford Seniors

Jack Keegan
Retired Instructor/Green House Manager, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Ryan Kwapniowski, president
Assoc. Director, Student Activities & ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Susan Lipnickey
Associate Athletic Director, Xavier University

Mary Geren Lutz, vice president
President, Edgar Patrice Imports

Jacqueline Rioja Velarde
Associate Director, Center for American & World Cultures, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Jessica Rivera
Assistant Professor, Departmetn of Music

Heidi Schiller
Executive Director, Oxford Community Arts Center

Ron Scott
Retired VP, Institutional Diversity, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Dr. Toni Shorter Smith
Visiting Assistant Professor in Arts Management

Lauren Tolliver
MAP Executive for Arts and Events

Dr. Scott Walter
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Platinum Benefactor, $10,000+

Cromer/Flory Artists-in-Residence Fund

Steve & Missy Friede

Ohio Arts Council

Patrons of the Performing Arts Endowment

Dr. David B. Phillips Performing Arts Series Fund

Gold Benefactor, $5,000-$9,999

Western College Alumnae Association

Sterling Benefactor, $1,000-$4,999

Bob & Beth Baer

Jerome Conley

Greg & Renate Crawford

Elizabeth Wakeman Henderson Charitable Foundation

John Iorillo

Jack Keegan

Liz & Robert Mullenix

Dr. Bruce Murray

Jim Rubenstein & Bernadette Unger

Deborah & Ronald Scott

Scott & Jennifer Walter

Benefactor Patron, $500-$999

Sabrina Jewell & Kirk Bogard

Steven & Patti Liberatore

Brent McCreary

Ted & Dawn Pickerill

Steve & Deb Snyder

Jack & Sally Southard

Mary E. Woodworth

Cheryl Young & Timothy Crawford

Sponsor Patron, $250-$499

Dr. Terri Barr

Bobbe Burke

Carla J. Davis

Carolyn & David Dewitt

Dubois Bookstore

Ryan & Emily Kwapniowski

David & Norma Pennock

Doug & Debbie Ross

Michael & Pate Rudolph

Steve & Susie Sadler

Heidi & Bob Schiller

Sustaining Patron, $100-$249

Dr. Cristina Alcalde

Ryan & Heather Fisher

Jack Green

Michael & Cathy McVey

Karen & David Shaffer

Ms. Sally L. Smith

John & Ann Weigand

Patron, $25-$99

Stephen & Nancy Alexander

Robert Karcher

Mrs. Lisa Kunberger Woodock