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Small Steel
Orchestras Big on Performance and Heart San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago - The night for National Panorama Finals for the Small Conventional steel orchestras in Trinidad and Tobago was an exhibition of excellence in pan. The competition was held just after the finals for the single pan bands on the stage at Skinner Park in south Trinidad on the Thursday evening preceding the Saturday 25 February finals for the medium and large conventional steel orchestras to be held at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain. The small steelbands put no less effort into their presentation and arrangements to produce a solid show which got underway sometime after 11:00 PM after a rain shower delayed proceedings by a few minutes. Like its counterpart the Big Yard in the North, the Skinner Park facilities are also uncovered. While the bands had their canopies, pan music lovers darted from the area in front of the bands' performances - to the stands for cover from the elements. Judges and Pan Trinbago officials were housed under a small tent directly in front of the stage; even they had to retreat from the outer edges when the rain came.
There had also been a previous pause to change a small part of the ramp leading up to the stage because of concerns that it may not have borne the weight of the steel orchestras and their 'engine rooms.' When Steel Talks was told that normally events were held on the field itself, and that this was the first year that an actual elevated stage had been constructed. Though the event was held in San Fernando only two of the eight small steel orchestra finalists were from south Trinidad. The other six generally hailed from the Northern part of the island. Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold later on in the program would say that despite some negativity toward the decision to stage the finals in the south, people were pleased with the evening's arrangements, and that they [competing bands] would be back in the south for future competitions.
Contesting bands took the stage, and exited quickly and efficiently, due in no small measure to the clear area at both ends, which is not normally the case at the Queen's Park Savannah. Another difference with the south venue is that it is essentially a very large field, and bands were lined up around the track starting at the far end in order of appearance. Because of their location in relation to the stage, bands were not allowed to practice their selections once on the field; however those still outside the gates at the far end, could be heard running through their tunes for the last time. Bands competing were - Starland, Merrytones, Pan Elders, Southern Marines Steelband Foundation, (which had Ella Andall appear on stage with them during their execution of her tune Festival Song), Crescendoes Musicale, Siparia Deltones, Tamana Pioneers and Fascinators Pan Symphony. Merrytones, Pan Elders and Siparia Deltones went on to cop first, second and third places respectively. Full results are available here Finals of Small conventional steel orchestras in pictures
C. Phillip, Basement
Press Corp.
2006 Complete Interview List
Copyright 2006 - Basement Recordings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ANY REPRODUCTION, REPRINTING OR COPYING OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS, OR ANY OTHER MATERIAL - AUDIO, VISUAL OR TEXT - FROM THE BASEMENT RECORDINGS/WHEN STEEL TALKS/PANONTHENET WEBSITES, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF WHEN STEEL TALKS.
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