Results - Large Conventional Steel Orchestra Semi-finals - Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama 2024

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - And then there were more - ties. Five sets in the preliminaries, and now four going into the finals of the ‘big band’ competition - including the four steel orchestras in fourth position... Yes - Desperadoes, Invaders, Starlift and Tropical Angel Harps are for now, all yoked together with identical scores of 275.

The semi-finals in the large conventional steel orchestra category delivered these, along with three more. At the end of it all, defending champion Renegades Steel Orchestra looks set to surpass Desperadoes as the band with the most national Panorama titles - if it maintains its lead and snags number thirteen in the finals set for February 10. Exodus Steel Orchestra which was on top after the preliminaries slipped to third, while Trinidad All Stars stayed the course in position two, laying in wait presumably for that title last clinched in 2017.

This year is probably one of shock for Skiffle Steel Orchestra, missing the final night cut by just a single point, and not being in the finals for the first time since 2012. It is also the first change in arranger(s) the music organization made since 2016, when they contracted the threesome of Kendall K. Williams, Marc Brooks and Odie Franklin. For 2024 André White became the band’s choice moving forward.

Definitely moving in the right direction - up - was Starlift, from twelfth, to being part of that four-way tie in fourth. It was a competition of enjoyable music for many, from music lovers, to many a joyful steelpan musician on that Queen’s Park Savannah stage. And the North Stand which housed so many of those music lovers was at capacity again, and at one point reportedly closed to any more aspiring ‘North Standers.’

As in the Medium category, there was one less band than expected in the actual competition on this night. This was due to the non-participation of Harmonites Steel Orchestra in the semi-finals. Harmonites was expected to play in position one, so fifteen rather than sixteen semi-finalists competed in the large category. With the final performance from Desperadoes ending around 1:53 AST (Atlantic Standard Time), results came in less than thirty minutes.

Now - some pan yards are already shut down for the 2024 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama season. Those steel orchestras moving on in the respective categories (ten medium and eleven large) have a bit of time to pull out whatever stops desired - or - just fine-tune a good thing - as they all prepare to take one last musical swing, aiming to triumph over their fellow bands.

Following are the results for the semi-finals leg of competition for Large conventional steel orchestras.

Color Key

East Zone Region

North Zone Region

South/Central
Zone Region

Tobago Region