Eastern Small Conventional Steel Orchestra Preliminaries - Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama 2020

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - While seeing to the Christmas ham, pastelles, parang, and like preparations, some Trinidadians and Tobagonians are also having another key focus: Pan.  This, as the preliminaries in the small conventional steel orchestra category of the 2020 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama competition are underway this week.

Following the Northern Region, the Eastern Region orchestras run from Thursday December 12.  B Minor, Sound of Music, Northolus and Genesis Steel Orchestra  steel orchestras compete on night one. 

Fascinators Pan Symphony, Bon Air Rhythm Rockers, Perfect Cadence,  Arima Golden Symphony and Nu Stars are next on Friday December 13. On both nights, expected start time of the sequence is 7:00  o’clock.

The final five Eastern bands have their turn Saturday December 14, beginning one hour earlier at 6:00 p.m.  A total of fourteen orchestras are registered overall in this region.  Judging venues are their respective panyards.  Addresses are listed below.

In this ‘small steel orchestra’ category, bands are permitted to perform with between 40 to 60 players for a maximum of eight (8) minutes.

EASTERN REGION - SMALL   Thursday December 12, 2019 (after the final Northern bands - updated)    1. B Minor   LP 188, 12 Woods Ave., Laventille Ext., Morvant   2. Sound of Music 71 Marigold Crescent, Coconut Drive, Morvant       Friday December 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.           3. Northolus Steel Orchestra   Knowles Street Recreation Grounds, Curepe   4. Genesis Steel Orchestra   Farm Road, St. Joseph   5. Fascinators Pan Symphony   1 Lammie Street, Tunapuna   6. Bon Air Rhythm Rockers   Blue Mussel Street, Bon Air West, Arouca   7. Perfect Cadence   Bon Air High School   8. Arima Golden Symphony   Priority Bus Route, Arima   9. Nu Stars   Corner Bypass & Mt. Pleasant Road, Arima               Saturday December 14, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.         10.  Simple Song   188 Pinto Road, Arima   11.  La Horquetta Pan Groove   Neville Jules Crescent, Phase 5, La Horquetta   12.  Tamana Pioneers   Four Road, Tamana   13.  Jay Notes 5 Guy Street, Sangre Grande 14.  Hill Toppers Steelpan Academy   2 Robinson Trace, Damarie Hill, Guaico, Sangre Grande

In all, fifty-four steel orchestras from the four regions—Northern, Eastern, South/Central and Tobago—are expected in these preliminaries to compete for the top 30 positions available and move on to the National Semi-finals on Saturday January 4, 2020 at Victoria Square, Park Street, Port of Spain.

UPDATE:  Due to inclement weather, Day 3 of the Northern Region bands - formerly Wednesday December 11 - was cancelled, and rescheduled to Thursday December 12.  The first two bands of the Eastern Region - B Minor and Sound Of Music - are still on the schedule for Thursday December 12.

The other two, Northolus Steel Orchestra and Genesis Steel Orchestra, now join the Friday December 13 schedule.  Start time for proceedings on Friday is one hour earlier, now 6:00 p.m.

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