United Kingdom
-
Reading
All
Steel
Percussion
Orchestra
(RASPO)
is busy
preparing
for
Notting
Hill
Carnival’s
National
‘Panorama’
UK
Steelband
Championship
taking
place
this
weekend
on
Saturday
27
August
2011.
Pandemic musicians from Aberdeen meet New York’s Iman Pascall, Khuent Rose and KJ Marcelle and RASPO director Mary Genis
Sixteen
players
from
Pandemic
Steel
Band
based at
Aberdeen’s
Bucksburn
Academy,
New York
drummer
Keith J
Marcelle
and
drill
director
Khuent
Rose
arrived
in
Reading
on
Monday
to
complete
RASPO’s
forty-five-piece
orchestra
for the
final
week of
intense
rehearsal
before
competing
with
five
other
steel
bands
for the
title of
‘Champions
of
Steel’.
Iman
Pascall
(24),
who is
in
Reading
from New
York’s
Berklee
College
of
Music,
has
arranged
a
ten-minute
version
of
Destra’s
‘Calling
Meh’, it
is her
first
time as
a UK
Panorama
arranger.
RASPO, Pandemic, arranger Iman Pascall, tuner Michael 'Bubbles' Oliviere and season captain Paul Watson meet for their first rehearsal together.
The
first
outdoor
performance
preview
with the
full
orchestra
took place in
Broad
Street
Reading
East on
Thursday
25
August
at
4:30 p.m.
and
again in
the
Butter
Market,
Reading
on
Friday
26
August
12 noon
to 3:00 p.m.
RASPO
will
celebrate
taking
part in
the
Panorama
championship
on the
float at
London’s
Notting
Hill
Carnival
procession
on
Sunday
28 and
Monday
29
August.
The
three-way
collaboration
between
New
York,
Aberdeen
and
Reading
has
created
a
significant
opportunity
and
potential
success
for RASPO
and
Reading
at
Europe’s
largest
carnival
event.
For more
information
on RASPO
rehearsal
dates,
workshops
and
venues
check
the
CultureMix
web
site.
For
photos
and
interviews
contact
Mary
Genis
mary@culturemixarts.co.uk
| 07973
251919 |
www.culturemixarts.co.uk.
