Reflection on "From Skin 2 Steel and Beyond"
By Joy Lapps
On November 29, 2019, I presented the final element of my year-long project, “From Skin 2 Steel and Beyond” at the Evergreen Brick Works. My project explored how natural environments have impacted the development of the steelpan, and how
the instrument has responded by impacting our cultural and social environments.
This dream project included composition of new music, facilitating hands-on workshops for over 350 participants and collaborating with talented artists. My project management team at Girl In The Yard Arts produced the final 60-minute presentation.
Together, with a 40-plus-person cast and crew, we offered a late matinee performance for over 125 guests including 80 students from Toronto Sistema Program, as well as an evening performance of over 100 attendees.
The multi-arts presentation explored composition for instruments that were precursors to steelpan including West African percussion, tamboo bamboo, iron and other metal instruments. I also shared compositions that explored the early steelpan, today’s conventional steelpan as well as the Salmon Cupid’s E-Pan.
Musical performances featured the Ngoma Drum and Dance Ensemble, as well as musicians Rob Christian (woodwinds/programming), Tom Juhas (guitar), Jeremy Ledbetter (keys), Andrew Stewart (bass), Chendy Leon (percussion), Larnell Lewis (drums/percussion), Isabel Lago (violin), Suhashini Arulanandam (violin), John Sellick (viola), David Liam Roberts (cello) and Subria Lapps (vocals). Among the musical pieces were a few of the Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean Jazz compositions I wrote for my upcoming release, which was produced by Andrew. Some of these numbers were further expressed through the dynamic choreography of Esie Mensah and Tamla Matthews.
Before and after the evening show, audience members took the opportunity to meet and greet with symposium participants including The S in STEM is for Steelpan, Pan Fantasy Steelband , Souls of Steel Toronto, Malvern Music and Arts Academy, Sistema Toronto and NGOMA Drum and Dance Ensemble, and taste the culinary artistry of chef Amanda Hamer and Edible Bliss.
A huge thanks goes out to the audience and project participants. Everyone brought such beautiful energy to the process and final performances. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the project funders, The Toronto Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR, as well as our host and project partner, The Evergreen Brick Works. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to share my interpretation of this beautiful instrument through mentorship, workshops and performance and look forward to remounting this project both here in Toronto and abroad.
Joy Lapps is a steelpan artist, composer, and arts educator. Learn more at Joy Lapps Music.