Join us in the library’s main lobby for an after-hours concert performed by the Northern Illinois University’s renowned Steelband. The concert will be an eclectic program of musical styles highlighting the versatility and profundity of the steelpan.

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 active steel orchestra formed at an American university and celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Sunday, April 16th, 2023.
NIU is also one of the few institutions in the world at which students may pursue undergraduate and graduate music degrees with a steelpan emphasis.

The ensemble 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 USA at the 2002 Seoul Drum Festival in South Korea.

The NIU Steelband regularly appears in concert at public schools, universities, conventions, and arts series, and has many recordings to its credit, including Dangerous, which features an eclectic blend of musical styles.

After many years under the leadership of G. Allan O’Connor and steelband legend Clifford Alexis, the ensemble is now directed by head of steelpan studies and professor of music, Liam Teague. The band’s instruments are maintained by Yuko Asada, music instrument technician, and she also significantly contributes to the daily operations of the NIU Steelband.

This concert is free and open to all. No registration is required. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and music will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Jah Love Jamaica Food Truck will have food available for purchase outside the library, including curry chicken, jerk chicken and pork chops, and fried plantains with red beans and rice.

For more information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.