St Luke’s Steel Band At Ashlar, August 1

St Luke’s Steel Band will perform the next concert in Ashlar of Newtown’s 20th annual Summer Sounds Concert Series.

The concert will be on Wednesday, August 1, beginning at 7 pm. There is no admission charge. Bring chairs or blankets for seating. The concert is scheduled to be an outdoor performance but will move into Ashlar’s lobby if there is rain.

St Luke’s Steel Band was started in the fall of 1999 when Father Victor Rogers and a group of supporters from New Haven’s historic St Luke’s Episcopal Church purchased a set of used steel drums from a band in Brooklyn. Since then, the group has attracted a dedicated membership of 25 players of all ages. Many of the members or their families come from the West Indies; the islands of Antigua, Barbados, Granada, Jamaica, Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago are all represented in the ensemble.

The band rehearses twice a week and performs regularly during services at St Luke’s Episcopal Church. They also play for conferences, festivals, benefits and private functions throughout the state. Their repertoire includes soca and calypso, reggae, classical, sacred, popular and island folk music.

Under the direction of coach/arranger Debby Teason and assistant director Donna Johnson, St. Luke’s Steel Band has gained a reputation as one of the area’s most unique and exciting performing ensembles. The band’s achievements were recognized in 2003 by an Artist’s Award from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and they placed first in their division and third overall in the 2007 Panorama Caribbean Music Fest in Virginia Beach.

Ashlar, at 139 Toddy Hill Road, can be reached for additional information by calling 426-5847.