Justin A. Petty
Music Director
Annual Spring Concert of Steelbands in Boston

Professor Justin A. Petty was born in 1971 in the city of Charlotte Amalie on the Island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. He is the middle child of ten children.

Justin began playing music very young. He was very versatile on the flute-o-phone or recorder, a member of his school and church choirs, the Drum Major of the Concert and Marching bands and could often be heard singing and writing his own calypsos with his neighborhood buddies.

In 1984, he joined the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra playing the guitar pan for one year before switching to the Tenor or lead pan. Justin has performed in the Cherry Blossom Parade, Heritage Festival and on the Capitol Steps in Washington, DC, at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Berklee Performance Center, Taiwan, Japan, at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, Puerto Rico, Tortola, BVI, at Carnival and the Savannah in Trinidad, West Indies, at the Three Worlds Festival of Florida, and the 1993 Presidential Inaugural Parade for former President William Clinton just to name a few. He has also appeared as a soloist with the late Calypsonian Aldwyn "Lord Kitchener" Roberts on several occasions.

In 1991, while at Berklee College of Music, Justin became a co-founder of the Pan Loco Steel Band Combo performing all over New England and its surrounding areas. In 1997, he was asked to arrange a ten minute musical piece for Branches Pan Groove Steel Orchestra to be performed in the Boston West Indian Carnival's Steel band competition known as Panorama. Under the musical direction of Mr. Petty, Branches has won the competition in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

In 1998, Justin was consulted on the formation of the only steel band on the north shore of Massachusetts. In February of 1999, the Crystal Panjammers Steel Band, under the supervision of the North Shore Caribbean Association and musical direction of Justin Petty, was formed.

Many individuals and organizations have always sought Justin's expertise and knowledge about the steel pan. The Celestial Infernos of St. Cyprians Episcopal Church, which he attends, is the most recent steel band started by Justin.

Mr. Petty holds a Bachelor Degree in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music and a Master of Science Degree in Broadcast Administration/Television Management from Boston University. Currently, he holds the record of being the youngest and first Tenured Professor of Broadcast Media Technology at Roxbury Community College in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where he is also the Department Chair of Technology.