Saint Lucia National Panorama 2025 Results - Pantime Steel Orchestra Returns to the Top with Champion Arranger Terrance “BJ” Marcelle

RESULTS

Castries, Saint Lucia, W.I. - Periodical downpours of rain on Sunday July 13 did not stop the sounds of steel orchestras as they fervently served up respective music salvos. After all, it was the country’s annual national steelband music Panorama competition amid the 2025 Lucian Carnival season.

Steelpan patrons were as ready for the weather (rain) as they were for pan, armed with umbrellas a-plenty for whenever it opened up buckets-a-drop during the evening. Steelpan instruments at times glistened both from being under the brilliant lights, and the droplets of rain on the pans.

Up for the taking was the title, championship trophy and prize purse of EC $60,000.00 (circa US $22,200.00). At the end of the music extravaganza, last year’s winner Babonneau Steel Orchestra had to make way for the new 2025 champion Pantime Steel Orchestra as they returned to the top.

Had Babonneau won this musical race with Run JuJu Run, it would have been the music organization’s seventh back-to-back national Panorama title. The band had been champions from 2017–2019 and 2022–2024; there was no Panorama in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The eight-time Panorama champion steel orchestra was first up and kicked off the evening with a hot and spirited delivery of Voice’s ‘Too Own Way’ as its ‘warm up.’

Musicians of band number two, Pantastic Muzik Steel Orchestra, were aptly dressed in black outfits trimmed in purple, complete with balaclava-like masks - for their tune of choice Ninja In St. Lucia arranged by Krystal Nestor. Players were poised in action stances just before they started, as they looked to deliver what they hoped would be decisive musical blows to clinch this year’s title. Their warm-up piece ‘Tribute to “Scrubb”’ was in honor of Lennard “Scrubb” Wellington who passed away earlier this year on March 3.

Laborie Steel Pan performed in position three playing Just Your Turn - when it was their turn in an effort to recapture the title, since doing so in 2016 with then-nineteen-year-old arranger Andrius Edwide; their warm-up tune was 2020’s popular “Trouble in the Morning.” Laborie’s fans were spotted in the crowd sporting 'It’s Just Your Turn’ t-shirts in support as they danced to the band’s music.

There was an additional treat for supporters of the steelband art form: the National Panorama solo competition which preceded the steel orchestras on the Panorama stage. The showcase revived a component last experienced in the 2000s. There were three participants on this night; the first was Omar Gabriel who says he started playing pan four years ago and chose Teddyson John's Doo Doo Darling. SM Steel did not participate in the Panorama this year, but steelband music fans still had a taste of the talents of the band’s arranger Jesse Nurse, who followed Gabriel in the soloist competition playing Arthur Allain’s 2025 soca Lottery. Contestant number three, Kannis Desrivieres performed the same song as fellow competitor Omar Gabriel. Prizes in this category were EC $2,500, EC $2,000 and EC $1,500 for 1^st through 3^rd places, respectively.

Closing out the steel orchestra phase for the night, fourth and final band Pantime last tasted success in 2015. The music organization scored a three-peat following triumphs in 2013 and 2014 as well. Amrit Samaroo was the arranger who led Pantime to those victories. For the title this time around, Terrance “BJ” Marcelle who they first worked with in 2024 returned for this year’s competition. This has been a very good year for the arranger, who copped his first national championship in the large band category in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago; he is also a five-time New York Panorama champion arranger.

Pantime Steel Orchestra adorned their racks with balloons in the country’s national colors of blue, yellow, black and white (so too were their white uniforms) - as they went to war (musically speaking) with Sly’s melodic and patriotic Damn Proud Lucian.  A quick medley of ‘Start D Party’ and ‘Queen Of The Jungle (bounce)’ warmed up both players and pan lovers. The affable and much-loved leader/manager Cecil “Tortee” Philgence could be seen on scratcher in the band’s ‘engine room.’ And Sly himself was ‘damn proud’ to take the stage briefly with Pantime as they performed his song.

There were performances by two artists as the crowd waited for the results to come in. Of note, according to Alexander, the host of the event - veteran steel orchestra Diamond Steel is expected to return to the competitive arena for the 2026 Panorama. The band last took part in the national competition in 2012, with their last title won in 2008.

Trophies and prize tenor pans were displayed in readiness for respective recipients. Among those presenting prizes on stage were 2025 Lucian Carnival Queen Emily Tiso, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information and Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore. Soloists received their trophies and checks first, with Jesse Nurse taking the top spot.

Then it was the turn of the steel orchestras, where in addition to trophies the bands were awarded checks in the amounts of EC $60,000, EC $50,000, EC $40,000 and EC $35,000 for placing first through fourth. Champion band Pantime’s leader Cecil “Tortee” Philgence was simply beaming while on stage for the presentation of the trophy and check.

The Panorama was held at the customary venue - the SAB, Vigie, in Castries, the country’s capital. It was also broadcast live courtesy Saint Lucia Carnival online via Choice TV, YouTube and Facebook.

Following are the results for the Panorama and Soloists competitions:

Panorama images source:  YouTube screen grabs

**  Order of Appearance in competition

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Related content:

• Saint Lucia Panorama 2025 - Live Stream
• Saint Lucia Steelband Panorama Winners
• The Story of Steelbands and the Steelband Art Form in Saint Lucia