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St. John’s, Antigua & Barbuda
- Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra - the
oldest band in Antigua & Barbuda - made history again for
2009 by copping Panorama championship honors, beating out
four other competitors. And they did this with the
youngest arranger in the competition - Khan Cordice - at
their helm. The 2009 Antigua & Barbuda National
Panorama was held at Carnival City (aka the Antigua
Recreation Grounds), St. John’s, on the penultimate night of
July with a large crowd of music lovers in attendance. Five
steel orchestras participated in this year’s show - Ebonites,
Gemonites, Halcyon, Harmonites and Hell’s Gate. Ebonites
performed well-known Antigua calypsonian the Mighty
Swallow’s Rudeboy Bacchanal (from 1983), as arranged
by Aubrey “Lacu” Samuel.
Harmonites and Halcyon were eventually
adjudicated second and first-runners up respectively, with
band representatives receiving their trophies and prizes
from Minister of Culture Ellison Adams (for Harmonites), and
director of Antigua Commercial Bank (sponsors of the
competition) Phillip Harris (for Halcyon). The presentation
for the most sought-after title of the night - Panorama
champions - was left to Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister
Baldwin Spencer, himself a ‘Pan Man’ and
avid supporter
and lover of the steelpan art form.
Last year Halcyon had unseated 2007 winners
Hell’s Gate to take the title. For 2009, Hell’s Gate
turned the tables once more and returned the ‘favor,’
leaving Halcyon to be content with second place.
Ace
arranger Khan Cordice (pictured) is continuing his winning ways
as When Steel Talks (WST) readers would know. WST was in
Antigua for the
2008 Moods of Pan festival, and present when Cordice
also triumphed over his older peer arrangers when he took
musical charge in the
25-A-Side event for the youngest band competing then -
the country’s National Youth Pan Orchestra - and lead them
to victory. Cordice was also
interviewed and spotlighted on WST.
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RESULTS for Antigua & Barbuda
2009 National Panorama
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Results |
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1st |
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2nd |
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3rd |
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Antigua Panorama Champions
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1. Hell’s Gate (champions 1949,
1953, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1967, 1976, 1990, 1991,
2002, 2006, 2007
& 2009)
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2. Halcyon (champions 1975, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
& 2008)
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3. Harmonites (champions 1968,
1969, 1971, 1972,
1974, 1985, 2001
& 2004)
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5. Gemonites (champions 1981,
2003 &
2005)
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6. Ebonites (champions 1977)
Click for more on steelpan in Antigua
www.Antigua.panonthenet.com
Steelband Champions of Antigua and Barbuda |
