Akinola Sennon

At the age of just 35, Mr. Sennon has a lifetime’s worth of musical achievements and accolades under his belt. He is presently the executive and musical director of Siparia Deltones Steelpan Institute, where the goal is promoting the steelpan and the music of Trinidad on an international level. In 2013, Sennon recorded an album with musical legend Hugh Masekela, where he assumed the role of project coordinator and steel pan soloist. In 2015, Akinola was the first pannist ever to be accepted to the Amsterdam van Conservatorium Jazz Workshop, in partnership with the Manhattan School of Music. In 2017, after the release debut album, Cousoumeh, he brought his band on a tour of the U.S. and Europe, performing in France, England, Netherlands, New York, Chicago, and Boston. Mr. Sennon continues to work in the area of steel pan development, arranging and music education. He has also created an international music festival of his own, taking place in Akinola’s home community of Siparia, Trinidad. The Siparia Music Festival is in its 5th year, hosting musicians from the U.S. and Europe annually. Through music and more so the steel pan, Akinola and his fellow visionaries are taking what seems to be ordinary and common, transforming and reshaping ideas, perceptions of truth and the future.