Global - Six of the UK’s most noted steel orchestras will put their best musical notes forward, in the annual tournament of bands coming together in their efforts to cop the prestigious title of Panorama champs. Five will endeavor to wrest the title from the 2011 champions, Mangrove Steel Band. With instruments tuned by Dudley Dickson and returning with champion arranger André White, Mangrove takes the stage first in the competition playing Faye-Ann Lyons’ & Baron’s All Over as their tune of choice.
CSI Steel Band which placed third in 2011, will give the championship its best shot as it follows in the wake of Mangrove, rendering the most-played song in this year’s Trinidad & Tobago Panorama - Destra Garcia’s Vibes as arranged by Brent Holder. In all, sixteen steel orchestras in the Trinidad & Tobago Panorama in the small, medium and large band categories opted for the popular track written by Garcia, Mark Loquan and Ken Philmore.
Metronomes Steel Orchestra which last won the UK Panorama back in 1984, will strive to break that title-drought when they dish up arranger Ken “Professor” Philmore’s interpretation of Archbishop of Pan from play position three.
Music-lovers will hear next from Ebony Steel Band, the steel orchestra which has dominated the UK Panorama competition—nineteen championships since 1978—as it makes its bid to cop its twentieth title, also playing Vibes, and arranged from Seion Gomez’ perspective. Ebony had to settle for second place in 2011. Double second-section leader Delphina James says the band expects to take the stage with sixty-five players.
Real Steel, who along with Metronomes were not in the 2011 UK Panorama competition line-up, is betting on their execution of Leroy Clarke’s arrangement of Vibes to showcase the band in its best musical light in their quest for the UK Panorama title. With seventy-five musicians in tow, the sixth and final band Croydon Steel Orchestra will attempt to wow the judges while they Gie Dem Tempo with arranger Paul Dowie’s re-interpretation of the piece.
Judges are reportedly June Bacchus Ifill, Robert Bailey, Anise Hadeed, Rudy Smith and Nestor Sullivan while Junior Howell is the adjudicator. Action has a scheduled start of 7:00 p.m. at Horniman’s Pleasance, Kensal Road in London, England.
Order of appearance and more, are below. Event poster here
| Play order | Band | Tune | Arranger | Tuners | Captains |
| #1 | Mangrove |
by |
Toussaint Ian Clarke
|
Andrew Facey | |
| #2 | CSI Steelband |
by |
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| #3 | Metronomes Steel Orchestra |
by |
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| #4 | Ebony Steel Orchestra |
Vibes
by |
Albert Faustine | ||
| #5 | Real Steel |
Prophet of Pan
by |
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| #6 | Croydon |
by |
Mark Wilson | Will Dunne Megan Francis |
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