Jaden Teague-Núñez, ‘Man of Steel,’ gets a boost with Crain-Maling win

At age 17, DeKalb high-school student Jaden Teague-Núñez is forging his own path. The musician made history last year by becoming the first steelpan player to win the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. 

“I think it’s really amazing to know that I can do this, because there’s not really many steelpan players out there in the world; there are not many high-level steelpan players who are kids,” said Teague-Núnez in an interview with WGN-Channel 9. The Young Artists Competition is presented by the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Originating in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan is chromatically pitched percussion instrument originally made from 200-liter industrial drums. Today is crafted from high-quality steel, with dents hammered into the pan for resonance. The instrument is tempered for tone, giving it a sweet sound and wide musical range.

Teague-Núñez, who won first place at the 2024 Young Artists Competition, is now being called one of the nation’s most talented young steelpan players. And his classmates have nicknamed him “Man of Steel.”

Accompanied by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Teague-Nunez performed the work A Visit to Hell for solo steelpan and orchestra, composed by his father, the Trinidad-born Liam Teague, director of steelpan studies and professor of music at Northern Illinois University. It was arranged by Dr. Jamie Whitmarsh.

Of Teague-Núñez’s performance with the Civic, one competition judge said, “What a treat to be able to hear this amazing young man and to see the future of the pan in such capable hands.”

As part of Impact: Showcasing Education and Community Engagement at the CSO, a Negaunee Music Institute concert on March 17 at Symphony Center, Teague-Núñez will reprise A Visit to Hell. He also will perform in “Community Pride,” a CSO for Kids concert May 3, joining members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins.

Born in Panama, Teague-Núñez is part of a high-achieving family; his mother, Lorena Núñez, is an accomplished violist and formerly principal violist of the Panama National Symphony Orchestra. His father, Liam Teague, as well as being a professor of music, is an internationally known steelpan virtuoso.

“My dad just gave me the steelpan when I was around 7 or 8 for my birthday,” Teague-Núñez said. “I ended up falling in love with it.”

After his YAC victory, Teague-Núñez was named a 2025 YoungArts winner with distinction in the classical/percussion category by the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists (also known as YoungArts).

Teague-Núñez was selected in a highly rigorous process, with reviews by panels of discipline-specific artists in a daunting competition. As a 2025 YoungArts award winner, Teague-Núñez joins a community of artists who are offered creative and professional development support not just in the near term, but throughout their careers.

“We’re thrilled to award our largest-ever cohort of artists, selected from a record-breaking number of applications this year,” said YoungArts president and CEO Clive Chang in a statement. “We hope this recognition provides these young people with the encouragement to keep pursuing their artistry.”

As a winner with distinction, Teague-Núñez participated (all expenses paid) in National YoungArts Week from Jan. 5-12 earlier this year in Miami, Florida. Teague-Núñez also is eligible to be nominated as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the highest honors given to high-school seniors.

But Teague-Núñez is taking all of this in his stride. “I am very proud to have been named a winner with distinction for the National YoungArts competition, considering it is also my first time participating in a national competition, let alone one that is so prestigious.”

For the rest of his career, Teague-Núñez is now eligible for a variety of support from YoungArts, including exclusive creative and professional development support, micro-grants and financial awards and presentation opportunities with major venues and cultural partners nationwide.

“What I’ve always wanted to do is to introduce the steelpan to new audiences and educate them about the capabilities of this beautiful instrument,” he said. “YoungArts is an amazing opportunity to achieve this goal, and I really hope that this intensive program will attract more people to the pan and further elevate its popularity.”

“I’m proud that I get to make history by being one of the first, possibly the first, steelpan players to be recognized as a YoungArts Winner with distinction,“ he said. ” I still aim to achieve more in the future."