Web Posted - Tuesday
April 15, 2025
Antigua Observer
Steelband Association boss gets ultimatum: Call elections, or else
Antigua & Barbuda, W.I. -
Two prominent steel orchestras have issued an ultimatum to the
Antigua and Barbuda Pan Association demanding elections be held
before the end of April or face potential disruption to the 2025
Panorama competition.
Observer media [and When Steel Talks] was furnished with a
copy of the missive signed by
Keithley Athill Jr and
Maurisha Potter — the captains of
Hells Gate and
Panache steel orchestras, respectively, which was addressed to the pan
association President
Patrick ‘Stone’ Johnson on April 11, citing multiple
constitutional violations and governance failures dating back approximately
six years.
read
ultimatum
Web Posted - Sunday
April 13, 2025
When Steel Talks
NIU (Northern Illinois University) Steel Band in concert
DeKalb, Illinois, USA - NIU (Northern
Illinois University) Steel Band in concert -
Liam Teague, director, NIU Steelband & Steelpan Studio;
Yuko Asada, director CSA Steelband. K-Lee Blackwell & Jalen
Charles, directors, University Steelband
see concert
Web Posted - Tuesday
April 8, 2025
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Pan fraternity grieves for Mark Loquan

Mark Loquan
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. -
The steelpan fraternity is mourning the loss of former NGC head
and musician
Mark Loquan, whose contribution to the development of the
movement has been invaluable. Loquan passed away on April 6
after a fight with cancer.
....Photographer Maria Nunes, who worked with Loquan on the film
projects Woman in Pan and Panyard Universe, said witnessing what
Loquan went through in the past year after being diagnosed with
glioblastoma, the most severe type of brain cancer will forever
stay with her.
....“Mark’s contribution to the world of steelpan is enormous.
His actions were consequential in ways that will impact for
generations. He was a man of clear-eyed vision and unwavering
commitment to do whatever he possibly could to build A Better
Tomorrow for TT through the steelpan. He saw the endless
possibilities of our beloved national instrument and over the
last 25 years he enjoined numerous people here at home, and
internationally, to work with him to realise his rock solid
vision of where we should be headed.
read more
Web Posted - Sunday
April 6, 2025
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Mark Loquan remembered as ‘a true patriot’

Former president of the National Gas Company of
TT Mark Loquan, right, and Prof Patrick Hosein
display their Order of the Republic of TT (ORTT)
medals at President’s House, St Ann’s, on
September 24, 2024
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. -
Former National Gas Company president and composer of steelpan
music
Mark Loquan is being remembered as a true patriot.
Loquan, 63, died on April 6, fourteen months after he was diagnosed with
brain cancer.
In a statement posted to Facebook, President Christine Kangaloo extended
condolences to Loquan’s friends and family.
Kangaloo said, “A true patriot, his selfless dedication to the
development of our nation’s energy sector and culture, particularly in the
realm of steelpan, has left an indelible mark on our country.”
....He was honoured for his contributions to national service,
particularly in energy and steelpan innovation, and accepted the award while
seated in a wheelchair.
....More than 30 of his compositions have been performed by winning bands
in the Pan is Beautiful competition, small and medium bands in the
National
Panorama, and primary and secondary school bands in the
Junior Panorama.
He was also a co-founder of the
Music
Literacy Trust, a not-for-profit organisation established in
2004, which has provided music scholarships for young panists, and
introduced music education programmes for youth.
During his career he also spread the sound of the national instrument
abroad, having served as the musical director of
Perth Pandemix, an Australia-based steelband.
read more
Web Posted - Friday
April 4, 2025
Clemson News
CU Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band collaborates with DuBose MS and
Summerville HS for April 18 concert

Clemson University Steel Band
Clemson, South Carolina, USA -
Clemson University’s Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band will
collaborate with South Carolina middle and high schools for a
joint concert on April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Brooks Center for
the Performing Arts.
The collaboration began when DuBose Steel Band director Mike
Greer suggested the idea to Clemson Professor of Music and
Director of Percussion, Paul Buyer. The pair quickly looped in
John Willmarth, Director of Steel Bands at Summerville, as
DuBose students feed into Summervile for high school.
. . . . The first half of the concert will feature the Clemson
Percussion Ensemble and the second half will feature the
Clemson, Summerville and DuBose Steel Bands. Each band will
perform on its own, with Clemson joining Summerville and DuBose
for a piece each.
read more
Web Posted - Friday
March 28, 2025
When Steel Talks
United States Steel Band Association (USSA) - A New Beginning

Members of the USSA Executive Board
Brooklyn, New York, USA - The United States Steelband Association (USSA) held its first
general meeting on Thursday February 13, 2025 with band
representatives and interested parities present in-house. The
venue was P.S. 161 in Brooklyn.
....It was the opportunity to meet some members of the
newly-elected board.
read more
Web Posted - March 2025
When Steel Talks
Panorama 2025 Results - Exodus Steel Orchestra and Arranger
Terrance “BJ” Marcelle are Champions, Jubilant in 2025 -
Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama
Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. -
They led all the way from the preliminaries, through the
semi-finals and took home the championship title after final
night competition. Exodus Steel Orchestra and arranger Terrance
“BJ” Marcelle are champions in the large steel orchestra
category of the 2025 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama.
Saturday March 1 into March 2 will forever hold treasured
memories for this musical collaboration which ended a title
drought for one, and delivered the first for the other.
see results
Web Posted
When Steel Talks
2025 Trinidad and Tobago National Steelband Panorama Info - Complete
Global
- PanOnTheNet/ WhenSteelTalks is Panorama
Central! Complete information on the 2025 season of the
Trinidad and Tobago National Panorama, and competitions:
Schedules, Orders of Appearance for preliminary,
semi-final and final phases for large, medium and small
conventional steel orchestras, and single pan bands;
arrangers’ bios, bios of steel orchestras; full results,
panyard addresses, history of previous Panoramas, and
much more!
see complete information
index
When Steel Talks
Facebook got it wrong - Meta World and WST & SteelPan Are
Friends Again
Facebook “Likes” sends PanOnTheNet Apology - “We got it
wrong”
Metaverse - Facebook got it
wrong. About three years ago without warning or reason all WST
(When Steel Talks) steelpan-related accounts fell out of favor
with the social media giant Facebook now known as Meta and its
aligned consortiums (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). Because
WST has all of our material hosted on our own shared servers,
this ‘tag’ was not incurable or as problematic as it could have
been. However, it was annoying to have people seeking critical
steelpan music info diverted by Facebook AI (artificial
intelligence).
see more
Web Posted
When Steel Talks
Technology Giant “Google” Celebrates the steelpan instrument via Google
Doodle
Celebrating Steelpan - Illustration by artist Nicholas Huggins

Doodle of steelpan instrument ‘live’ on Google’s web site
Global - On Tuesday July 26, 2022 the
steelpan instrument of Trinidad and Tobago is featured and celebrated on the
site of technology giant “Google” via the famed Google ‘Doodle.’ The ‘Doodle’
is essentially an illustrative change made to the Google corporate logo “to
celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers,
and scientists” - and more. The doodle is then seen by users all around the
world who access Google’s homepage on that day, and is available thereafter
in the doodle archives.
....Trinidad and Tobago-based artist Nicholas Huggins is the creator of the
illustrative artwork featured in the doodle, while
Etienne Charles is the composer
of the accompanying music performed by the legendary steelpan icon
Len “Boogsie”
Sharpe.
see more