Steelpan sololist extraordinaire Noel La Pierre departed Trinidad and Tobago en route to Shanghai, China to represent T&T steel pan culture at the 13th Shanghai performing Arts Festival (SPAF) 2011.Recently, La Pierre was featured as part of the T&T contingent hosted by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism in Shanghai Expo 2010, China, where he was invited to participate as an artiste at the 12th Shanghai Arts Festival.After thrilling the audiences from all over the world with his talent and tremendous performance, the committee invited La Pierre back at this year's arts festival.
The 13th Shanghai Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) is an international performing fair which has become the largest and the most fruitful international performance fair so far ever held in China.With 12 years of success, the SPAF, commonly called "SPAF Dock Shanghai," has become the "shortcut" for many domestic and foreign performing institutions, groups and artistes; who for the first time have entered the Chinese performing market and will have the opportunity to network and build strategic relationships with person of similar trade from China and other countries.
La Pierre has been featured as a premier pan soloist -"One Man Band"-for more than 33 years and an entrepreneur for over 16 years, promoting and performing on the national instrument of T&T internationally. This experience he states would not have be possible without the support of the SPAF Committee in China and the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism.He also stated his only desire is to continue to knock and open doors to ensure that the national instrument gains the respect it deserves and to continue promoting his country.The 13th SPAF, which will feature over 50 stage performances from all over the world, various art exhibitions and forum, runs until October 20.