NIU Steelband marks 50th anniversary with Feb. 10 concert at Norris Cultural Arts Center

Celebrating its 50th anniversary season, the Northern Illinois University Steelband performs in concert on Friday, Feb. 10, in the Norris Cultural Arts Center.

The concert, conducted by steelpan superstar Liam Teague, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the arts center, 1040 Dunham Road in St. Charles.

Discounted student tickets are available. For information and a link to online ticketing, visit www.NorrisCulturalArts.com.

The NIU Steelband is dedicated to demonstrating the versatility and profundity of the steelpan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.

Created in 1973 by G. Allan O'Connor, the NIU Steelband is the first steelband formed at an American university. NIU is also one of the few institutions in the world at which students may pursue undergraduate and graduate music degrees with the steelpan as the major instrument of choice.

The band has performed throughout the United States and across the globe. Some of the band's most notable appearances include a performance for 18,000 soccer fans at Yankee Stadium, tours of Taiwan in 1992 and 1998, concerts with symphony orchestras (including the St. Louis Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta), and several performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). In 2000, the NIU Steelband had the distinction of placing 2nd at the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad, and represented the U.S.A. at the 2002 Seoul Drum Festival in South Korea.

The Norris Cultural Arts Center is located on the Norris Campus which also includes St. Charles East High School.

Also in February, the Norris Center's "Music … and More … in the Gallery" will welcome Ransom Creek on Sunday, Feb. 26, in the intimate space of the Norris Gallery. As the area's premiere bluegrass quartet, Ransom Creek performs classic bluegrass and more. The foursome is known for weaving sets of traditional bluegrass songs and other genre crossing titles.