Even after many months of marketing and promotion, many of you do not know enough about The Rainmakers. This is not strange, since the key to effective advertising is repetition of messages, even to the point of being monotonous.

For those who forgot, those who wish to remember, as well as those who came in late, The Rainmakers, a Tropical Journey in Percussion and Steel, is simultaneously:

A musical drama created and scripted by Franka Hills-Headley, Founder and Musical Director of Golden Hands Steel Orchestra;

A nine-piece symphonic suite for steel orchestra/percussion ensemble, composed by Dr. Jeannine Remy, lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, The University of the West Indies (UWI), and one of the main arrangers for Golden Hands;

A story enacted on canvas by artist Nigel Parris, through a composite set of ten commissioned paintings; and

A group of musicians, comprising members of Golden Hands and UWI Percussion Ensemble, who play the music and enact the drama.

The Rainmakers will perform the work at a feature concert on Saturday November 8 at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention (PASIC) in Austin, Texas. A universal fund-raising drive has been underway since March to enable the project. Primary investors to date have been The Entertainment Company of Trinidad and Tobago, UWI, The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, CLICO Trinidad, Sanch Electronix, The National Lotteries Control Board and The Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Rainmakers’ official website is www.tobago.org/trinidad/pan/rainmakers/
Peruse their catalogue of merchandisable artifacts at www.sanch.com/rainmakers.html
His Excellency, Professor George Maxwell Richards, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is patron of The Rainmakers. His message is the foreword of their commemorative magazine. Click on www.sanch.com/documents/president-message.pdf

On the lighter side, read the true story of the birth and life of a Trini audiophile by activating the link http://www.ultraaudio.com/features/2008_09_15.htm

Simeon L. Sandiford
Executive Producer of The Rainmakers