Hall of Fame 2003

by Lisa Rogers He has been called many things in his life including the “Stradivarius of Steel,” “Father of the Modern Steel Drum Band,” “Master of the Steel Drum,” and Dr. Mannette. I prefer to call him the “Steel Rebel” because in his seventy-seven years of life, Ellie Mannette has continually rebelled against anyone or…

by James A. Strain Founded in 1900, the Philadelphia Orchestra is just over 100 years old. For nearly half of the orchestra’s history, from 1953 until his death in 2002, Michael Bookspan provided inspirational sounds from the stage to the audience. Wolfgang Sawallisch, Musical Director of the orchestra, characterized Bookspan’s contribution by stating: “With nearly…

by Mark Andreas Giesecke Siegfried Fink was born 1928 in Zerbst/Anhalt (East Germany) and studied percussion and timpani as well as composition at the Music University “Franz Liszt” in Weimar. When people in the German Democratic Republic called his music, which was partly influenced by jazz, “decadent,” and when they wanted to force him to…

 by Lauren Vogel Weiss He’s the composer of “Three Dances for Solo Snare Drum,” performed on dozens of concerts this year alone. Gordon Stout dedicated his well-known “Mexican Dances” to him. And he is the author (and illustrator) of a clever book of limericks, “…And My Daddy Will Play The Drums.” But who exactly is…