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WHEREAS, The steelpan is a modern instrument, tracing its history back to the youth of Trinidad and Guyana in the early 20th Century as a way to hone their musical skills; and
WHEREAS, The first steelpans were made from discarded barrels by native children too poor to purchase orchestral instruments imported from England; and
WHEREAS, as a young man growing up in Guyana, Phil Solomon taught himself to play the steelpan on his own handmade pan; and
WHEREAS, at age 23, Phil Solomon led an orchestra of steelpan players to win a prestigious music festival in Trinidad with his arrangement of Brahm's famous piece, Hungarian Dance #5; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon emigrated to the United States in 1984, and because of the availability of steel barrels, settled in the Pittsburgh area; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon rooted himself in the Beechview neighborhood, hammering out steelpans in his basement just steps from the T, and raised four talented daughters; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon worked with the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association to develop a program to introduce steelpans into schools, and helped found steelpan bands at Keystone Oaks, Ambridge, Chartiers Valley, and Carrick High Schools; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon formed a band, Steel Impressions, to help spread the gospel of steelpan far and wide; and
WHEREAS, He is internationally recognized as the world's best steel pan maker, having established the standard chemical composition of steelpans used worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon remains dedicated to the expansion of steelpan in the Pittsburgh region, through educating a new generation of steelpan enthusiasts and the promotion of Pittsburgh as the Steelpan capital of the world; and
WHEREAS, The smile on Phil Solomon's face while playing his instrument is only eclipsed by the smile he has when teaching his craft; and
WHEREAS, Phil Solomon finds true joy in the versatility of his steelpans, and the ability to make everything fr...
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