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Chris Tanner

Educational Credentials

D.M.A., Performance, West Virginia University
M.M., Performance, ºÚÁÏÉçÇø
B.M., Music Education, West Virginia University

Biography

Chris Tanner, D.M.A., is the founder and director of the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Steel Band. He is the author of The Steel Band Game Plan: Strategies for Starting, Building and Maintaining Your Pan Program, a comprehensive resource covering all fundamental topics relating to the development of a steel band program, and the first of its kind to be published through a major firm. In 2011 he released his debut recording of original music for steel band and jazz soloists, titled First Impression. He has served as a guest clinician or performing artist at numerous festivals, workshops, high schools and universities. He is a frequently commissioned composer/arranger, and his works are published through Pan Ramajay Productions, Engine Room Publishing, and Panyard, Inc.

The ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Steel Band has appeared on three occasions at the prestigious Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and has also twice headlined the annual PANorama Music Festival in Virginia Beach, VA. The ensemble has released five studio recordings since 2001, all produced and distributed by Pan Ramajay Productions.

Tanner serves as President and is a founding member of the National Society of Steel Band Educators (NSSBE), a non-profit organization created in 2016, dedicated to advancing steel band education in the United States. He served as Chair of the Department of Music from 2017-2023.