Malika Coletta - Maryland, USA
Malika Coletta has been
performing on the steelpan for over 18 years and completed both a Bachelor and
Master of music degrees at Northern
Illinois University,
where she studied with Liam Teague and Cliff Alexis. With the NIU steelband she
had the opportunity to perform with calypso great David Rudder, perform at The
Chicago Symphony Center, hold workshops, travel to Trinidad to perform with the
TLC Skiffle Bunch steelband for panorama and founded the Mosaic duo, a
collaboration of marimba and steelpan. During her tenure at NIU she co-directed
the all-university steelband. She has written and premiered works for a variety
of instruments and is a dedicated performer, arranger, educator and composer
for the steelpan. From 2007 – 2011 she worked as Program Developer and Artistic
Director for the Cultural Academy for Excellence, in Hyattsville, MD
an organization founded by her mother Lorna Green. While there she also
co-directed the world renowned Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra, and
directed the award winning elementary band the Rhythm Runners. Malika currently
works at Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras as Education Coordinator.