On Thursday, April 9, over 150 steel pan players participated in the fourth annual Phoenix College (PC) Pan Groove Rising Festival on Hoy Field with guest artist and esteemed pannist Dr. Josanne Francis. The morning of the festival, Dr. Francis provided a free steel pan clinic focused on technique in PC's Music building.
Established in 2023, the Phoenix Pan Rising Festival brings people together to celebrate the musical culture inspired by the steel pan worldwide. Invented in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the steel pan is a symbol of Afro-Caribbean creativity, resilience, and musical expression. Made from 55-gallon steel oil drums, the steel pan produces a variety of musical styles – Calypso & Soca, reggae, pop, and rock – that make it impossible not to groove along with the performers.
Ten high school pan ensembles from across the state joined Phoenix College Pan Groove:
ASA Steel Band
Camelback High School
CF Falcon Steel
Chandler Pan Groove Steel Band
Corona del Sol Steel Band
DV Steel
PIA Pan Stars
Positive Vibes Steel Band
Rhythm Is Life Steel Band
Each ensemble prepared featured music to perform individually, and the steel pan ensembles performed together for a great night of music, dancing, camaraderie, and amazing solo performances by Dr. Francis.
Phoenix International Academy (PIA) Pan Stars, one of the first groups to perform, had second graders give their premiere performance, with enthusiastic applause and audience participation.
PC's Pan Groove rehearses on Thursday afternoons and is open to all experience levels. For more information, contact Rose French at 602-285-7271 or [email protected].