Welcome to CultureMix

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CultureMix Arts Ltd is an organisation specialising in the steel pan music and carnival arts experience, for all ages and all sectors. Our mission is to widely promote and raise awareness of the benefits of participation in carnival arts and music by encouraging access, education, professional development and entertainment locally, nationally and internationally.

Click here for RASPO Steel Orchestra's live performance dates!

Browse the site or click the bold links for more information on booking workshops in steel pan music and carnival arts. Find the right steel band or go to the Agency page for a choice of artists to suit your event. You can learn how to play pan at our Centre for Steel Pan Music in central Berkshire. We provide tutors for schools, colleges, universities and youth clubs through our highly respected music service plus specialist workshops in music therapy and team building. See our guide on How to Set Up a Steel Band.

Meet the CultureMix team and RASPO Steel Orchestra. The Showcase section has pictures and archive video of live RASPO performances including WOMAD and RASPO on TV, check the calendar for upcoming dates. In Resources there is plenty about steel pans including the history and profiles on UK pan pioneers. We can organise pan tuning and the purchase of steel pan sets.

Contact our friendly team with any enquiries, to sign up for our regular newsletter or to purchase a 'RASPO Live!' CD. We warmly welcome you to the CultureMix web site and look forward to hearing from you.

The Artistic Director

READING CHRONICLE 2 SEPTEMBER 10 - RASPO set carnival on fire!

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

Reading Chronicle features the young RASPO musicians and masqueraders. More...

Reading Chronicle 2 September 2010

WORKSHOP DATES 2010

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

Want to learn to play steel pan music and carnival head dresses? RASPO workshops take place at Watlington Hall from 14 September.
Check 2010 dates and times here.
More...

Children's PanYard workshop

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - RASPO Performances 2010

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

See RASPO Steel Orchestra live. Click here for confirmed public performances and events for 2010. More...

The RASPO Panorama Orchestra 2010

RASPO AT NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL REVIEW

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

RASPO Steel Orchestra achieved it's ambition to take part in the UK wide Steelband Championship also known as Panorama. The players celebrated at Notting Hill Carnival's family day on Sunday by joining the procession at Europe's largest two day street festival. More...

RASPO float at Notting Hill Carnival 2010

PANORAMA NEWS !!!

26 AUGUST 2010

In the final few days before RASPO's biggest event ever, find out more about the players and the other bands competing for the title of National Champions of Steel. More...

The RASPO Panorama Orchestra 2010

RASPO PANORAMA ORCHESTRA - Press

21 AUGUST 2010

With only one week to go before the National Steelband Championships RASPO Steel Orchestra practice daily to perfect their ten-minute arrangement of de Fosto's 'Pan on Fire'. Attend a free preview at the Hexagon, Reading on Tuesday 24 August 6-8pm and in Reading Town Centre outside M&S on Thursday 26 August 5-7.30pm More...

Reading Chronicle 19 August 2010

CARNIVAL WORKSHOPS - Press

21 AUGUST 2010

Whitley Excellence Cluster and Aspire2 made it possible for carnival workshops to take place in South Reading launching the first RASPO Mas Camp in Reading. More...

Reading Chronicle 19 August 2010

READING CHRONICLE 5 AUGUST 10 - Setting the carnival spirit

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

Read the write up on RASPO's Notting Hill Carnival launch event... More...

Reading Chronicle 6 August 2010

GET READING 6 AUGUST 2010 - Champions of steel finding rhythm

02 SEPTEMBER 2010

Get involved in RASPO's Notting Hill Carnival project by taking part in Reading activities. More...

Get Reading 6 August 2010

RASPO IN DUBLIN - Festival of World Cultures

03 AUGUST 2010

RASPO took seventeen musicians to the Dun Loaghaire Festival of World Cultures in Dublin 23-25 July 2010. See pics and video footage of their fantastic trip to the Emerald Isle. More...

RASPO Steel Orchestra at the Festival Of World Cultures Dublin

RASPO'S VIP CARNIVAL LAUNCH - 27 July 2010 7-8pm

16 JULY 2010

RASPO's VIP Carnival Launch will kick off their Notting Hill Carnival project. Hear a sneak preview of the Panorama tune, see carnival head dress designs and find out how you can get involved in Europe's biggest street carnival. More...

RASPO Notting Hill Carnival VIP Invitation

JOIN RASPO AT NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

20 AUGUST 2010

RASPO invites Reading's community to join their Notting Hill Carnival Project. Play mas and pan in the Children's Day procession on Sunday 29 August. On Saturday 28 August RASPO will take part in the National Panorama Steelband Competition. Carnival workshops happen around Reading during June, July and August. More...

Join RASPO at London's Notting Hill Carnival

RASPO'S PANYARD CLOSES - Abbey Gateway unsafe

16 FEBRUARY 2010

The Abbey Gateway home to RASPO Steel Orchestra since 2005 has been fenced off by contractors following safety concerns about the ancient structure. More...

Abbey Gateway fenced off

BAS AWARD FOR RASPO - 10th Anniversary of Performance

06 JANUARY 2010

The British Association of Steelbands (BAS) celebrated ten years of RASPO performances with an award presented by Toussaint Clarke to RASPO's director Mary Genis at the glittering Annual Awards ceremony. More...

Mary with Bubbles and Matthew Phillip from Mangrove Steel Band.

2009 CULTUREMIX REVIEW

16 FEBRUARY 2010

Read about the 2009 achievements of CultureMix Arts and RASPO Steel Orchestra's tenth anniversary celebration of performances ... More...

Kisha - Classroom Music [Rhinegold]

'RASPO LIVE!' CD LAUNCH

05 APRIL 2010

RASPO has completed recording the best of their repertoire for their first CD to be launched at WOMAD festival this year. The CD, recorded in the natural acoustics of Abbey Gateway, shows off the steel percussion orchestra's skills, styles and arrangements at its best. RASPO at WOMAD 2009 - see video, pics and read review More...

RASPO Live! CD cover

EVENTS ARCHIVE

03 APRIL 2009

Check past events, press releases and photos here... More...

RASPO Reading Carnival 2008

PAN FEVER - A Calypso Summer Starts...

26 MAY 2008

The summer has finally arrived with an unprecedented demand for performances from the increasingly popular Reading All Steel Percussion Orchestra (RASPO). The 2008 performance season launched with the Engine Room Collective at South Street Arts Centre on 4 May. More...