Liam Teague, NIU Board of Trustees Professor, Presidential Professor of Research, Scholarship and the Arts and Chair of Steel Studies in the NIU School of Music was awarded the Key to the City of San Fernando in his native Trinidad and Tobago, in a ceremony on November 30 in San Fernando.
In a letter sent to Teague by Junia Regrello, the mayor of San Fernando, Regrello wrote that Teague’s honor is in “recognition of your extraordinary accomplishments over the years, as you have carried the flag of San Fernando, as a cultural ambassador and as an educator. “
The ceremony was covered by Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday, including photos and Teague expressing his hope that he can perform more often in his native country.
Teague leads the world-renowned NIU Steelband, the oldest collegiate steel band in the United States, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. Teague earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at NIU where he studied and worked with Al O’ Connor and Clifford Alexis, among others, who helped found and make the NIU Steelband one of the best in the world.
Teague has been called the “Paganini of Steel” and has performed all over the world and received many awards from his native Trinidad and Tobago, including the National Hummingbird Award and the ANSA McAl Caribbean Award for Excellence.
He has created arrangements for the world’s most famous steel band competition, Panorama – held annually in Trinidad and Tobago, for Nutrien Silver Stars Steel Orchestra, Harvard Harps Steel Orchestra, Starlift Steel Orchestra and Skiffle Steel Orchestra. He has many recordings to his credit, including: Hands like lightning, For lack of better Words, Panoramic: Pace Through an Unobstructed View AND Open the window.
The NIU Steelband 50th Anniversary Concert is scheduled for Sunday, April 16, 2023 in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall at 3 p.m.
