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
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
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
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
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,
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 |
|