Ambridge Steel Drum Band to celebrate 35th anniversary with special free show

Scott Tady, Beaver County Times

AMBRIDGE ― The Ambridge Area High School Steel Drum Band celebrates 35 years of making joyful music with a special show Thursday joined on stage by international musician, composer and educator Arthur Lipner.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

The free 7 p.m. concert, at Ambridge Area High School, also features the school's Jazz and Percussion ensembles.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

The students will collaborate with Lipner, who specializes in vibes, marimba and steel drums, commonly called "pans." He has appeared on over 50 albums and presented 300 workshops on six continents, teaching at some of the world’s most prestigious schools including Juilliard and the Royal College of Music. Lipner, the main character in the documentary "Talking Sticks," has toured overseas dozens of times, including China and Russia in 2019.

Arthur Lipner has entertained audiences all over the globe. He's special guest for the Ambridge Area Steel Drum Band's 35th anniversary concert.
Arthur Lipner has entertained audiences all over the globe. He's special guest for the Ambridge Area Steel Drum Band's 35th anniversary concert.

"We are extra excited to host internationally acclaimed mallet percussionist Arthur Lipner," Todd Hartman, director the past 24 years for the Ambridge Area High School Steel Drum Band. "He will conduct a clinic during the morning, rehearse with students in the afternoon and share the stage with them that evening.

"A notable moment of the concert will be the premiere of my arrangement of 'Sunny' as recorded by him on his new album, 'Mallet Poet.'"

The Ambridge Steel Drums are in the midst of a busy 2024, featuring 15 performances, including four shows at Christmas in The Woods in Columbiana, Ohio, and outreach assemblies at four school districts outside of Ambridge.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band was among 17 high school ensembles selected by audition to perform last Thursday at the 2024 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conference, at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie.

"Ambridge Steel Band is like a second family to me," Ambridge High senior Joey Bellinger said. "Mr. Hartman has inspired me to become a better musician. I have met so many lifelong friends through the steel band. Being in the steel band gives me a sense of belonging. I've had once-in-a-lifetime experiences, lifelong moments that have changed my life for the better."

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

"I love the steel drum program because I’m going into music education and the program gives me a chance to help mentor younger students," Ambridge Steel Drum member Zoe Elias said.

Through the years, the band's sun-splashed, calypso sounds have delighted audiences at prestigious events like the 2004 Rose Bowl Parade, the 1995 AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers Stadium, as an opening act for Steven Spielberg at a San Francisco banquet, and the popular Heinz Hall Christmas concerts led by B.E. Taylor.

Last December, the Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained crowds at the Fire & Ice Festival in New Brighton.

"The first thing you think of when you hear that sound is a blue ocean and sand," Sal Aloe, founder of Ambridge's steel drum program 35 years ago, said in a Times interview for the ensemble's Silver Anniversary. "It just puts you in a festive mood."

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

Ambridge Steel Drum members pay tribute to an upbeat musical style that originated more than a century ago in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.
The Ambridge Steel Drum Band entertained music educators last week at conference along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The group has a special 35th anniversary concert in Ambridge this week.

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Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Ambridge Area Steel Drum Band to mark 35th anniversary with concert

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