Teague to play in Ramajay II

PROFESSOR Liam Teague returns home this weekend to headline a concert being staged by QLife Promotions titled Ramajay II, scheduled for July 14 Under The Trees at The Normandie in St Ann’s.

He will be joined by veteran jazz pianist, Clive “Zanda” Alexander, extempo champion, Myron B and veteran calypsonian and former culture minister Winston “Gypsy” Peters with MC Willard “Relator” Harris to complete a cast of musicians and chantwells.

Teague is head of pan studies at Northern Illinois University (NIU), where he also directs the renowned NIU Steelband. The recipient of an NIU Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor Award, he has also won a number of notable competitions such as the TT National Steelband Festival Solo Championship and the Saint Louis Symphony Volunteers Association Young Artist competition. Teague’s commitment to demonstrating the musical possibilities of the pan has taken him around the globe and earned him many awards, including: the Humming Bird National Award (Silver) and the Ansa McAL Caribbean Award for Excellence.

He has performed with many diverse ensembles, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Czech National Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Panama National Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Vermeer String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Hannaford Street Silver Brass Ensemble, Nexus, Dartmouth Wind Ensemble, Indiana University Symphonic Band, University of Wisconsin-Madison Marching Band, and the Nutrien Silver Stars Steel Orchestra.

He has appeared in concert with Grammy-Award winning musicians: Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Samuels, Zakir Hussain and Dame Evelyn Glennie and has regularly collaborated with NIU colleagues, Robert Chappell (a multi-instrumentalist) and Faye Seeman (harpist), with whom he co-founded the pan and harp duo known as Pangelic.

Teague has also presented and performed at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC) and educational institutions around.

Many of his compositions and arrangements are published with MaumauMusic, PanPress and RamajayMusic and Teague has commissioned outstanding composers to write for the pan, including: Michael Colgrass, Jan Bach, Libby Larsen, Andy Akiho, Deborah Fisher Teason, Joey Sellers, Ben Wahlund, Erik Ross, Kevin Bobo and David Gordon.

He is steelband director at Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Door County, Wisconsin, and has also taught and performed at the California State University Summer Arts Camp and at the Interlochen Academy for the Performing Arts.

Teague wrote the book A Steelpan Method for Beginners, published in 2014 by the Hal Leonard Corporation. He is the arranger for the Nutrien Silver Stars Steel Orchestra and has many recordings to his credit, including Hands like Lightning, For Lack of Better Words, Panoramic: Rhythm Through an Unobstructed View and Open Window.

QLife director David Dyer explained the idea behind the event in a media release:

“QLife Productions is dedicated to hosting high-quality entertainment events for the mature, cultured audience,” he said. “So this is the second edition of the Ramajay series and we’re hosting this one in collaboration with Under the Trees at Normandie after assembling a stellar cast of musicians that’s guaranteed to deliver an exceptional night of music and improvisation.