
DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710080193

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

STEEL DRUMS TO SING OUT FOR FLEET WEEK

A STEEL DRUM BAND is coming to Chesapeake this weekend to celebrate the Navy and to show Chesapeake parents a new aspect of the city's music-education curriculum.

As a way to help celebrate Fleet Week Hampton Roads '97 (Oct. 7-10), a regional observance to focus on the ties between the Navy/sea services and the people of Hampton Roads, the United States Navy Steel Band will present a special concert this Saturday at the Central Library.

In addition, two Naval vessels will be moored all day at the Great Bridge Lock Park on Saturday for public visitations.

Regionally, Fleet Week is a variety of military ceremonies, displays, exhibitions and musical and sporting events - with at least one event in each city of Hampton Roads.

Chesapeake has a Naval/Marine facility within its borders known as the Naval Security Group Activity Northwest (NSGA), a base off Ballahack Road in the southern end of the city near the North Carolina border.

As a way to celebrate NSGA's presence in the city and the many Naval, Marine and Coast Guard personnel who live in or are stationed in Chesapeake, a free concert presented by the well-known United State Navy Steel Band will be held Saturday.

According to L. Randy Harrison, the city's fine arts coordinator, Chesapeake chose the Steel Band to perform here because of the group's Caribbean influenced music and because the Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission recently awarded the city school system a grant to start up steel band studies within the city's music core curriculum.

The grant allowed the Chesapeake public school system to purchase steel drums from Trinidad, Harrison said.

``We gave the city a grant to begin steel bands in the high schools because we felt that it was something totally new in the city's high school music studies,'' Harrison said. ``So when Fleet Week came around for this year, I jumped to get the Navy Steel Band to come here so we can show people what a professional one sounds like. Of course, they are also a top-notch performing group that entertains thousands of people every year.''

The United States Navy Steel Band was formed in 1957 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It relocated to New Orleans in 1973 and became part of the Navy Band New Orleans. The group has traveled millions of miles, acting as musical ambassadors for the Navy and the United States.

The 10-person ensemble performs the traditional steel band music of Trinidad as well as offer classical and contemporary music on the hand-crafted 55-gallon oil drums.

``Those bands have such a lovely and unique sound,'' Harrison. ``Many people are familiar with the soft, bell-like tones produced by these steel drums. We want to show that these bands are capable of musical versatility. I've even heard the `1812 Overture' by Tchaikovsky on the steel drums.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

The United States Navy Steel Band will present a special concert

this Saturday at the Central Library.

Graphic

WANT TO GO?

What: Fleet Week Hampton Roads '97

Who: United States Navy Steel Band in concert

When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday

Where: Chesapeake Central Library, 298 Cedar Road in the

Chesapeake Municipal Center

Boat visits: Two Navy craft - a landing craft and a rigid hull

inflatable boat - will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday at the Great Bridge Lock Park.