PANACHE Steel Orchestra is a dream come true for members
St. George’s, Antigua - PANACHE Steel
Orchestra officially launched Friday morning
September 14, 2007
on ABS TV during ‘Good Morning Antigua Barbuda’.
With a name that means ‘Flair” and “Finesse”, and possessing
combined pan-playing experience of over 120 years, members are
passionate about positioning PANACHE at the highest musical
level on the island.
Says member Wendell Desouza: “part of our dream is to contribute
meaningfully to nation building. We aim to achieve this by
serving the entire community of St. George and hopefully
becoming the ‘Pride of St. George’ ”.
According to Desouza, one of the PANACHE organizers, “we intend
to utilize the talents of our present performance side to
establish a Pan Academy for aspiring pannists of all ages, with
prime focus on the youth of the area. We are committed to
passing on positive messages like the band’s Core Values -
Commitment, Respect, Discipline, Integrity, Optimism, Loyalty,
Quality and Unity”.
The band’s Vision is to become the region’s premier and most
professional steel orchestra, universally acclaimed for the
highest level of musical excellence. Its Mission is to achieve
pan excellence by mastering musical arrangements and execution,
thereby exceeding all expectations. PANACHE Objectives include
the enhancement of members’ musical skills, contribution to the
personal development and character building of the nation’s
youth, and the perpetuation of community improvement as a means
of uplifting the society at large.
To date, assistance with this very expensive venture has come
from the Hon. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, Colombian Emeralds
International, Mr. Ernest Henry, Hon. Baldwin Spencer, Mr. Dean
Jonas, KPMG, Medpath Clinical Laboratory, Dr. S. V. Raj, Lingees
Lights & Windoors, Dr. George Roberts, A& R Plumbelectric Ltd.,
Willy D Enterprises, GIGI Industries, Furniture Gallery, Mr.
Septimus Rhudd, Cort & Cort, Nunes Hardware, Mings Hardware,
Dews Building Centre, LeeWind Paints, Prime Distributors, Frank
B. Armstrong, Dave Soogrim (Mega Distribution Ltd.), Automotive
Art, Island Provision Ltd., Hon. Winston Williams and staff of
APUA Telephones. Special thanks goes out to these
individuals/organizations for their support.
PANACHE invites other interested donors, sponsors and employers
to become part of this exciting initiative designed to enrich
Antigua’s cultural heritage and steelband offerings. Further
information may be obtained from contact persons Wendell Desouza
(773-2378), Robin Margetson (771-3748) and Irwin Armstrong
(780-7572).
With special emphasis on its RAP - Repertoire, Attitude &
Performance - the sky is certainly the limit for PANACHE.