A new cultural production is marking the 75th anniversary of Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra’s (TASPO) historic voyage to the Festival of Britain, retracing the journey that transformed the steelpan from a banned and stigmatized instrument into Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument and a globally celebrated musical innovation.

Seventy-five years after Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra’s (TASPO) historic journey to the Festival of Britain, a new cultural production is celebrating the orchestra that introduced the steelpan to the world. Writer Dr. Josephine Torrel-Brown says it revisits the events that led to Trinidad and Tobago into representing its national instrument on the international stage.

“Trinidad and Tobago heard that Hellgate Steel Band from Antigua was going to represent at the Festival of Britain, then they said that can never be. because here the PAN was born. Here is where steel band would have come from and therefore they decided that is the steel band association at the time decided we have to let Trinidad go and represent our instrument.”