Mennonite Memorial Home, 410 W. Elm St., Bluffton, invites the public to its annual community "Concert on the Lawn," at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 19.
The public is invited to the outdoor concert on the backyard lawn of Mennonite Memorial Home where they will hear the Caribbean music of Pantasia, a steel-drum band from Findlay High School.
Since its inception in the spring of 1997, Pantasia has earnbed an impressive reputation as an educational and entertaining instrumental music ensemble. The band is always in high demand, averaging over 40 performances a year. Their island favorites, beach tunes, calypso, pop and reggae have been described as fun, festive and refreshing.
"Be sure to bring a lawn chair and an appetite. While you are swaying in the breeze and tapping your toe to a happy tune at this free concert, you can also enjoy free ice cream sundaes and fellowship with family and friends," said Rhonda Wolpert, MMH administrator.
About the band
Tim Mattis had taught instrumental and vocal music for nine years before accepting a position with the Findlay City Schools in Findlay, Ohio in 1994, where he has served as band director and band department chair.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bluffton College and his Master of Music in Percussion Performance from Bowling Green State University, where he studied with Wendell Jones and Roger Schupp.
Mattis has been adjunct instructor of percussion at Ohio Northern University and at Bluffton University. His performance credits include the Lima Symphony Orchestra, the Lima Marimba Ensemble, and a variety of community theater performances, both onstage and in the pit. Tim and his wife, Tammie, have two children: Elijah and Kristi.
From The Director:
I was in my freshman year at Bluffton College (Ohio) when I saw my first steelband at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) Professional Conference in Cleveland. It was 1981 and the ensemble was the University of Akron Steel Drum Band directed by Larry Snyder. They were only one of only a handful of steelbands in this country at the time. From that moment I was hooked! I knew that someday, somewhere I would have my own steelband.
When I began graduate studies at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) I already knew what my performance document topic was: The Steel Drums of Trinidad and Tobago. In September 1995, as I was beginning my second year as an assistant band director in the Findlay City Schools, I had a meeting with parents of high school percussion students to share some ideas I had for the percussion department, including the concept of a steelband.
Almost one year later I was contacted by one of the parents, a local attorney, who had attended that meeting. He said that two of his elderly clients had expressed an interest in helping to nurture the musical arts at Findlay High School and asked him if he had any suggestions! After meeting with the couple and their attorney, they made a donation of $10,000 toward the start-up costs of a new steelband.
With an additional $6,000 from various other donors we were able to purchase two of each "voice" (lead, seconds, cellos, and bass) from Panyard, Inc. of Akron, Ohio. This also included all stands, cases, mallets, 12 music arrangements, and a variety of miscellaneous percussion instruments.
As of January 2003, the band has expanded to 35 pans covering 14 voices, a new drum set, and an estimated value of over $70,000. We are very thankful to our community for its support of the arts in public education. Without it this dream of a steelband would have remained just that.
