Global - During the May 6-8 PanoGrama preliminaries, 24 panists from 9 countries graced the virtual stage to share their talent with pan enthusiasts. By the end of the three-night display of musical competence, 20 advanced to the next round. USA, Canada, France, and T&T held the top positions for the preliminaries, while Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, St. Lucia, and Grenada complete the list of countries that will be represented in the semi-finals.
Olivier Wiren of France
Olivier Wiren of France, who finished 14th in the preliminaries with his rendition of Chick Corea’s Armando’s Rhumba, is elated that he will feature in the next round.
“I’m glad and proud to be in the semis, and that the judges appreciate my work. I received some good feedback from people also. It is a good feeling because I put in a lot of work.”
Olivier also shared that it was fellow countryman and participant Mathieu Borgne who encouraged him to participate in PanoGrama.
“It’s Mathieu who motivated me to do it. I was not very confident, but I did it to challenge myself. When you look at your performance, and when people congratulate you, it’s a good result. Great feeling!” he added.
CEO and Founder of PanoGrama, Nevin Roach, stated, “talented panists like Olivier are building their confidence, learning, and employing new musical tools, and in essence growing through the PanoGrama experience. That for me is the biggest reward from hosting this competition.”
Like the other 19 semifinalists, Olivier has high hopes to impress the adjudicators and book a spot in the 10-man finals. There is no doubt that Professor Liam Teague and his team will have a tough decision to make, as they scrutinize each performance and allocate points for Intro/Ending, Variations, Execution and Performance.
David Yundi (USA) will attempt to hold onto the top spot at the end of the semi-finals and fend off strong challenges from Mathieu Borgne (France), Gabriel Chartrand (Canada), and Shaquille “Flogo” Forbes (Trinidad & Tobago), who were all nipping at his heels in the preliminary round. All panists will start with a clean slate.
The semi-finals will stream on May 29 at 8:00 p.m. AST (Atlantic Standard Time) and promises a diverse selection of music. An all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas, 1 brand-new Perfect Steel tenor pan and case, $1,000.00 USD, and a private session with a world-renowned steelpanist are up for grabs by this year’s champion. Persons interested in watching the show can join the mailing list on pano-grama.com to receive show links, or email contact@pano-grama.com for more info.
Order of Appearance, and Tune Selections for semi-finals follow:
May 29, 2022 - 8:00 p.m. AST (Atlantic Standard Time)
SEE Online Streaming Semi-final Performances here
| Position | Name | Country | Tune of Choice/ Performer |
| 1 | Gabriel Chartrand | Canada | Mariage d’Amour - (Paul de Senneville) |
| 2 | Maurisha Potter | Antigua/ Barbuda |
Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley and the Wailers) |
| 3 | David Yundi | USA | Feel the Love - (DJ Private Ryan & Freetown Collective) |
| 4 | Aquila Pereira | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Vivir Mi Vida - (Marc Anthony) |
| 5 | Olivier Wiren | France | Je me suis fait tout petit (Georges Brassens) |
| 6 | Alexander Evans | Belize | Welcome to Belize (Leela Vernon) |
| 7 | Deja Cain | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Mas Que Nada (Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66) |
| 8 | Mathieu Borgne | France | Sour Apple (Lord Kitchener) |
| 9 | Emmanuel Joseph | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Love & Affection (Pressure) |
| 10 | Simeon Superville | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Hulk (Blaxx) |
| 11 | Tevin Shockness | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Hear My Cry Oh Lord (Marvia Providence) |
| 12 | Jaron Woodsley | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington, Jr.) |
| 13 | Al Alexander | St. Lucia | Uptown Funk! (Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars) |
| 14 | Shaquille Forbes | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Spain (Chick Corea) |
| 15 | Christopher Neale | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Pan Night and Day (Lord Kitchener) |
| 16 | Jamel Cadette | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder) |
| 17 | Malik Smith | Antigua & Barbuda | Close to You (Maxi Priest) |
| 18 | Mikiel Smith | Grenada | Pan by Storm (Designer) |
| 19 | Hanif Goodridge | Trinidad/ Tobago |
This Masquerade (George Benson) |
| 20 | Marcus Prince | Trinidad/ Tobago |
Can’t Stop the feeling! (Justin Timberlake) |
From the News desk of:
Panograma
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