Panland Trinidad & Tobago Ltd. will this month host students and teachers of the Ritan High School of Beijing.

Its one of the very few schools in china with a steel orchestra.

Panland Trinidad & Tobago Ltd invited the school from China to witness the Laventille Steelband Festival Street Parade and forge a strong relationship with a complementary school program here.

The entourage of 23, including 16 high school students, parents and teachers will arrive in the country today and return to China on Monday August 8th.

Panland says this connection came out of new links that have been established for the supply of steelpan instruments in the Chinese market after years of work and was facilitated through the embassy of Trinidad & Tobago in Beijing.

Panland began supplying pans to China in June this year.

The Ritan High School is interested in developing its pan program and this trip is expected to broaden their understanding of the steelpan and the land of its birth.

Success Laventille Secondary School has been selected to host an exchange with the students and teachers of the Ritan High School, based on the successes of its championship steel orchestra, success stars pan sounds, its experience as cultural ambassadors, and its well established music program.

Panland says this will initiate a relationship between both schools but more so between Trinidad & Tobago and the People’s Republic of China on many levels.

The interactive workshops between the Chinese steelpan music students and their local host will take place at Success Laventille Secondary school, Eastern Main Road (just before the entrance to Old St. Joseph Road) on Sunday August 7th from 4.00 pm.

At the end of this exchange a joint informal performance will be presented from 6:30 pm.