Dr. Zahra Lake
Steelpan Educator • Performer • Arranger

Dr. Zahra Lake is an Antiguan and Barbudan steelpan educator, performer, and arranger. In 2017, she became the first female arranger for Antigua’s National Panorama with the Panache Steel Orchestra and, in 2018, the first woman to win the title—earning her the Antigua and Barbuda National Youth Award in the “Young Pioneer” category. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music (Steelpan Concentration) from Northern Illinois University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership: Organizational Justice, Equity, and Inclusion from Western Illinois University.

Dr. Lake has served as Music Director of Panache Steel Orchestra (2017–2022), Drill Master for the Original Steel Orchestra (2023–2024), and currently as Captain and Musical Director of the newly founded Pandemonium Steel Orchestra (2024-present). Under her leadership, Pandemonium won the 2024 Gemonites Moods of Pan 25-a-Side competition and placed 2nd in the 2025 National Panorama in Antigua and Barbuda.

An accomplished educator and performer, Dr. Lake has led workshops and presentations on steelband improvisation, arranging, orchestration, and history, and has performed in Antigua, the U.S., Haiti, and Costa Rica. She is dedicated to using the steelpan as a tool for self-expression, education, and cultural development, continually advancing the artform both on stage and in the classroom.

Kareem Thompson
Artist/Educator/Composer

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Kareem Thompson’s musical journey began at the age of eight, deeply rooted in his Trinidadian heritage. Introduced to the steelpan by his grandfather, Edgar Fitzgerald—an original member of the legendary Highlanders Steel Band of the early 1960s—Kareem quickly developed a passion for the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. His grandfather
soon founded a family band, Jambalasi, later renamed K.I.T. Caribbean Connection, where Kareem’s early musical foundation was built. A graduate of the Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Kareem’s talent earned him remarkable opportunities from a young age, including a trip to Trinidad with C.A.S.Y.M. Steelband for the World Steelpan Festival at just thirteen, and a scholarship to Florida
Memorial University awarded by Something Positive Inc., founded by the late Cheryl Byron.

While attending Florida Memorial University, Kareem’s skill and charisma shone through numerous performances, including sharing the stage with the university’s steelband at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. His dedication to the art of steelpan took him to Trinidad once again in 2007, performing with Invaders Steel Orchestra at the first Panorama competition held in the South of Trinidad. In 2008, Kareem transferred to Berklee College of Music, where he honed his craft further, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music with a minor in Music Business in 2013. During this period, Kareem made his debut as a steelband arranger, placing fourth with Sesame Flyers Steel Orchestra in the 2010 Panorama—marking the band’s highest placement ever.

Kareem’s professional career flourished after college. He joined forces with acclaimed Barbadian saxophonist Elan Trotman, touring globally and recording two albums: Live and Uncut (2014) and Double Take (2016). His collaborations extended to renowned Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles, performing at major jazz festivals and venues around the world. In 2017, Kareem released his debut solo album, Pan Roots Culture, a vibrant celebration of his Caribbean heritage fused with his deep jazz influences. In 2021, Kareem founded Pan Roots Culture, a steelpan brand that celebrates Caribbean roots through live performances, education, and cultural experiences.

In 2019, Kareem came full circle, joining the faculty at Berklee College of Music as the institution’s Steelpan Professor. There, he teaches a range of courses including Steelpan Private Lessons, Steelpan Lab, Steelpan Ensemble, Harmonic Considerations in Improvisation, and Jazz Improvisation Techniques. His recent accomplishments continue to affirm his artistry and leadership in the steelpan world—performing on NBC’s Today Show (2021), appearing with 50 Cent at John Legend’s birthday celebration (2022), performing at the White House (2023), arranging for Guyana’s Kunjaz Steel Orchestra (2024), and performing in Times Square for World Steelpan Day (2025). Kareem Thompson continues to elevate the steelpan on the world stage, embodying the spirit of Caribbean culture and musical excellence.

Tom Miller’s vast experience as a performer, composer, arranger and educator of steel drum music has made him one of the most respected and sought-after steel drum soloists and clinicians today having been a featured guest artist and clinician at numerous university, community and high school music programs across the United States. He has added his unique style of percussive touch to numerous recordings with artists such as Grammy Award winners Allison Krause and the late John Denver, Germany’s famed WDR Big Band, jazz drummer Peter Erskine and Latin percussionist Luis Conte, and on major motion film scores by the late, award-winning composer James Horner. Tom has worked on music for the ad campaigns of Minute Maid and Sony and has recorded music for SIMs computer games.

Tom has performed worldwide with his own popular steel drum groups Pan Ramajay and Pan Nation, as well as with other notable pan masters Andy Narell, Ray Holman, Robert Greenridge, Othello Molineaux, Our Boys Steel Orchestra, and The United States Navy Steel Drum Band. Tom has also orchestrated original and popular works featuring steel drums with symphony orchestra for the Israeli Philharmonic, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony and Tuscarawas Philharmonic in Ohio.  He is equally comfortable in the studio as a producer, having produced and mixed several critically acclaimed steel band recordings for his own group, Pan Ramajay, as well as other steel drum artists across the U.S. and abroad.

Tom is the founder and president of one of the foremost steel drum music publishing companies, Pan Ramajay Productions (www.ramajay.com), which features compositions and recordings of prominent steel drum composers worldwide. He serves on the Board of Directors for both the National Society of Steel Band Educators and the Colorado based nonprofit for steel drum advancement, The Pan Collective.