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Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra
retains St. Vincent Panorama Title

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 Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra
Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra

St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Defending Vincy steelband Panorama champs, Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra  played their way straight to the top for another year, dashing the hopes of main rivals Starlift Steel Orchestra to dethrone them for 2011.  As the fourth band taking the stage at 12:55 a.m., and with Seion Gomez as arranger, Sion Hill Euphonium delivered a rousing performance of “Dey Come to Get On.”  Sporting white pants, sparkling blue tops and bandanas made of strips of the same blue material, the orchestra appeared to be the largest of the six competing bands in the Panorama.

 Starlift Steel Orchestra
Starlift Steel Orchestra

For the steel orchestra with the most St. Vincent Panorama titles - Starlift - their efforts would be rewarded with second place in 2011 for their rendition of “Iron Man” as they performed in position number three in the field of six.  In keeping with the theme of strength (Iron Man), band members chose all black outfits with silver highlights, and matching caps.

It was interesting to note that the music organizations’ positions were reversed in the Junior Pan Fest on June 26.  It was Starlift Juniors who triumphed, while Sion Hill Euphonium Juniors were relegated to second place.

 Potential Steel Orchestra
Potential Steel Orchestra

In the wee hours of Carnival Monday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines - 1:19 a.m. to be exact - the band which eventually placed third, Potential Steel Orchestra, came before a delighted audience and began to “Jam Them” with the selection popularized by Touch.  Established since 1980, the band’s forty steelpan musicians were the most colorfully clad in the competition, glistening in both purple and gold shirts.  The men “topped” off with gold, deep fuchsia and royal blue hats, while the ladies tantalized onlookers from behind slim masks.   Potential’s arranger was Johnny “JP” Pompey who,  one week earlier, led Girls High School to winner’s row in the school-based steel orchestra category of the country’s Junior Pan Fest.

 Dynamic Stars Steel Orchestra
Dynamic Stars Steel Orchestra

Proudly representing Union Island was Dynamic Stars Steel Orchestra - in only their second appearance in the annual Panorama - and who played in second position.  The group performed “Bounce Back” from 12:06  through 12:14 a.m.  Though the smallest band in the competition, Dynamic is a product of the country’s successful ‘Pan Against Crime’ initiative.  Like the ‘stars’ in their name, Dynamic Stars literally sparkled under the stage lights of Carnival City in tops of gold trimmed in black and finished off with black pants.

 Elite Steel Orchestra
Elite Steel Orchestra

Calypsonian Becket’s “Wine Down” was the tune of choice for players from Elite Steel Orchestra who were last in the line-up of the six bands.  With shiny, long-sleeved deep lilac tops complemented by black pants, it was 1:48 a.m. when they struck their last notes with as much gusto, and displaying as much determination as their fellow competitors before them, officially ‘closing off’ the Panorama segment of the 2011 Vincy Dimanche Gras show.

 South East Steel Orchestra
South East Steel Orchestra

South East Steel Orchestra, the second band emanating from the Pan Against Crime initiative, had been first up in the 2011 Vincy Panorama, getting things underway at fifteen minutes before midnight.  A total of forty-five players attired in purple satin tops and white pants, belted out on their steelpan instruments an oldie goldie from the ‘80s called “Happy”  - an original from the group Shandileer featuring Ronnie McIntosh.

The Panorama was originally scheduled to come off on June 30 as part of “Steel and Glitter” but was cancelled and included instead within the Dimanche Gras show at Carnival City Victoria Park in Kingstown.  The evening opened with two rounds of the Calypso Monarch competition, followed by the steelband Panorama, and the Carnival Queens and Kings finals rounding out the event.

Five judges who included Grenada’s Andy Chichester, Lorna Conyette and Stephanie Powell from Trinidad, and St. Vincent’s own Junior Sutherland along with a colleague -  considered and adjudicated the bands’ performances in four areas for a possible total of 100 points.  The maximum for Arrangement was 40 points; Performance – 40 points; Tone – 10 points and Rhythm – 10 Points.  Results were announced at 3:40 a.m.

An online video feed of the entire Dimanche Gras show, including the Panorama, was available.  And like the Junior Pan Fest a few days prior, the audio of the senior Panorama was also broadcast online by St. Vincent’s ‘Star FM.’  However, the audio while the steel orchestras performed was, sadly, virtually unlistenable.

2011 Panorama Results - St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Placing Band Selection / Performer Arranger
1st Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra Dey Come to Get On Seion Gomez
2nd Starlift Steel Orchestra Iron Man  
3rd Potential Steel Orchestra Jam Them / Touch Johnny “JP” Pompey
       
  Dynamic Stars Steel Orchestra Bounce Back  
  Elite Steel Orchestra Wine Down / Becket  
  South East Steel Orchestra Happy / Shandileer feat. Ronnie McIntosh  

 


 

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