Jenny’s interest in music started at an early age when she began playing flute in primary school and spent her weekends rehearsing with her local orchestra. By the age of 12 she discovered and fell in love with steel pans. She joined her local steel band, North Tyneside Steel Band (NTSB) led by Dave Edwards and enjoyed a wealth of performance opportunities through her teens including performing at the Royal Albert Hall in the Music For Youth Proms 2003 and 2008, as well as touring Switzerland. She is now one of the band’s musical directors and enjoys arranging, tutoring and performing with the band.
She began her career as a pan tutor in 2002, training as a Young Leader with the Steelbands North Project. She has had the opportunity to work with many great UK based tutors and also the legendary Earl Rodney (Trinidad), as well as record her first band composition. This was a very influential time in which she became focused on pursuing a career within the arts. She is now a full-time performer and tutor, teaching a variety of school bands, soloists and community groups across the region. She is also musical director and arranger of Northern Steel Orchestra which has competed in national competitions and festivals such as UK Junior Panorama competition (2015 UK Junior Panorama Champions), and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Jenny became interested in composing and arranging whilst studying GCSE and A-Level Music and has composed numerous pieces for solo steel pan, ensembles, steelbands and other instruments. Her soundscape, Yangtze Remix, featured in a public art exhibition, ‘Unfinished Business at Wallington’, at Wallington Hall, Northumberland in 2011. In 2012 she recorded her first solo album, which is available here.
Jenny has performed internationally in various competitions and festivals in countries such as Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Trinidad and of course the UK too. She has also worked as a guest soloist with bands such as London Gypsy Orchestra (above), Steel Pan Fusion and has collaborated with numerous other artists on projects such as Jazz North East ‘Strictly Smokin’ Sessions’, Five Pence Game and ‘Unfinished Business’ art exhibition. (read more about her collaborations)
She has competed in numerous panorama championship competitions with top British and Trinidadian steel orchestras: Ebony Steel Band, BP Renegades Steel Orchestra and Courts Sound Specialists, playing under world class arrangers Duvone Stewart and Ken Professor Philmore. In 2008 she became the UK solo champion winning the BAS Pan Explosion competition with her rendition of Scott Joplin’s ‘Maple Leaf Rag’. She then enjoyed competing in UK Pan Clash competition (improvisation) runner up in 2011 and winner in 2013.
Awards, Performances & Competitions
Awards
- 2015 – Dave Edwards Award
- 2013 – UK Pan Clash Champion
- 2013 – Elsie Tunney Memorial Award, Wansbeck Music Festival
- 2011 – UK Pan Clash (Runner Up)
- 2010 – Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2010/11 (North Tyneside Small Business Awards)
- 2008 – UK Solo Steel Pan Champion, Pan Explosion Competition
Solo Competitions & Performances
- 2019 – Strictly Smokin’ Sessions, Jazz North East
- 2019 – North Tyneside Steel Band 30th Anniversary Concert
- 2018 – Five Pence Game Album launch
- 2017 – Steel Pan Fusion ‘Melting Pot Tour
- 2016 – Northern Steel Network Festival
- 2015 – Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Glasgow
- 2015 – Thomas Cook, Glasgow
- 2015 – Barrhead Travel Launch, Glasgow
- 2014 – Jamaica House, Glasgow
- 2014 – North Tyneside Steel Band Festival
- 2014 – London Gypsy Orchestra – Balkan Organ Carnival Project
- 2014 – PanDango, The Sage Gateshead
- 2013 – MOBO Awards
- 2013 – UK Pan Clash Solo Competition (winner)
- 2013 – London Gypsy Orchestra – Balkan Organ Carnival Project
- 2011 – UK Pan Clash Solo Competition (runner up)
- 2011 – LA Steelband Festival
- 2010 – North Tyneside Steel Band Festival
- 2010 – North Tyneside Steelband 20th Anniversary Concert, Whitley Bay Playhouse
- 2009 – Official opening of Whitley Bay Playhouse by the Countess of Wessex
- 2008 – Pan Explosion Solo Competition (winner)
Major Band Competitions
- 2019 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Pan Nation Steel Orchestra)
- 2019 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2018 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Ebony Steel Band)
- 2018 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2017 – UK Junior Panorama – (Northern Steel Orchestra)
- 2017 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Ebony Steel Band)
- 2017 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2016 – UK Junior Panorama – (Northern Steel Orchestra)
- 2016 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Ebony Steel Band)
- 2016 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2015 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Ebony Steel Band)
- 2015 – UK Junior Panorama – (Northern Steel Orchestra)
- 2015 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2014 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (Ebony Steel Band)
- 2014 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2013 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2013 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (Trinidad East Side)
- 2012 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (BP Renegades)
- 2012 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (Polyphonics)
- 2011 – Notting Hill Panorama Competition (CSI Steel Band Trust)
- 2010 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (San Juan East Side Symphony)
- 2010 – Trinidad & Tobago Panorama – (Courts Sound Specilists of aventille)
- 2009 – Notting Hill Panorama – (CSI Steelband)
- 2008 – Royal Albert Hall – Youth Proms with Classic FM (NTSB)
- 2008 – National Festival of Music For Youth (NTSB)
- 2008 – Notting Hill Panorama – (CSI Steelband)
- 2007 – Notting Hill Panorama (Stardust)
- 2006 – Notting Hill Panorama – (Stardust Steel Orchestra)
- 2004 – Birmingham – National Festival of Music For Youth Finals (NTSB)
- 2003 – Royal Albert Hall – Youth Proms with Classic FM (NTSB)
- 2003 – Queen Elizabeth Hall – National Festival of Music For Youth Finals NTSB)
- 2002 – BBC Young Folk Awards semi finals (NTSB)
Festivals
- 2019 – Fringe Festival Edinburgh (NSO)
- 2019 – Rotterdam Carnival
- 2019 – Dutch tour (NTSB)
- 2018 – Fringe Festival Edinburgh (NSO)
- 2018 – Barcelona Tour, Spain (KEVI Steel)
- 2016 – Salzburg Tour, Austria (KEVI Steel)
- 2016 – Ghent Fest & Tour, Belgium (Framwellgate)
- 2015 – A Night at the Movies, The Sage Gateshead (Chantry, Newminster & KEVI Steel Bands)
- 2015 – Tynedale Music Festival, Northumberland (NTSB)
- 2014 – Cudrefin Festival & Tour, Switzerland (NTSB)
- 2014 – Assisi & Florence Tour (KEVI Steel)
- 2013 – Wickerman Festival (NTSB)
- 2012 – Cudrefin Festival & Tour, Switzerland (NTSB)
- 2012 – Vamos Festival
- 2009 – Cudrefin Festival & Tour, Switzerland (NTSB)
- 2008 – Jazz Festival – The Sage Gateshead (Volcano)
- 2007 – present – North Tyneside Festival of Steelbands (various bands)
- 2007 – Jazz Festival – The Sage Gateshead (Volcano)
- 2006 – Jazz Festival – The Sage Gateshead (small ensemble with Byron Wallen)
- 2006 – Buskathon 06- North Tyneside Steel Band UK tour, Lands End to Largs (NTSB)
- 2006 – Pan Explosion BAS Event – The Drum, Birmingham (NTSB)
- 2000/02 – National Youth Arts Festival, Devon (NTSB)
- 2005/06/07 – Steel Spring – The Sage Gateshead (various bands)
- 2000 – Millennium Dome