Beverley Ramsey-Moore: Single pan contest incubator for UTT/UWI arrangers

THE single pan finals will be held on December 14 at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. This will be the first title of Panorama and Carnival 2025.

As well as bringing more communities together, the competition has helped to develop new arrangers and scorers, Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore said in a phone interview on December 10.

Ramsey-Moore thanked the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and The UWI for the work they were doing with Trinidad and Tobago’s youth.

“All those graduates are finding room in the single-pan category, where they are getting their start. Then you see them graduating up to the small, into the medium, and then into the large. We are seeing growth and continuum in terms of what is happening in the Panorama industry, and that is what we are extremely proud about.”

Not only did it help arrangers develop their skill, but also provided employment, she said

“What you see happening, the arrangers – even though they can score the music – they employ people now to come onboard.”

The single pan was the foundation on which the pan fraternity stood, she said.

“The music is at a higher standard this time.”

Thirteen recent UTT graduates were arranging for some of the competing bands, she said. Some have been arranging for about three years, she added.

Ramsey-Moore said this has also been creating employment within the fraternity and beyond.

“There is an avenue now for all these graduates to come, practise their craft and make money.”

She felt this demonstrated the positive effect pan was having on the country.

At the recent preliminaries, Ramsey-Moore noticed increased participation by communities supporting their bands.

“From the prelims in the communities, the turnout in the panyards was large...When you look at the way how pan has been impacting communities, impacting families, impacting the players themselves, it is a great feeling that there are still safe spaces in TT.”

She said panyards allowed people to feel at home and welcome, and the “magic of pan” was unfolding daily.

“Everywhere you turn in TT, the compliments about the work Pan Trinbago is doing, the nation is saying that they are so proud of what is happening now.”

There were 42 participating single-pan bands in the competition. This was whittled down to 25. The competition was so “great” the executive decided not to host a semifinal and send all 25 bands into the finals, she said.

She described ticket sales as going smoothly and added that each band had already sold 500. She hoped there would be increased sales by Friday.

As with the 2024 edition, pay-per-view is also available. She said there was an increase in people viewing via this medium, adding,

“In terms of the awareness and pushing the marketing to have more participation from the outside, that is ongoing, and so we intend to see an increase in 2025.”

Order of appearance at single pan finals:

1 Marsicans Steel Orchestra

2 Trinidad Nostalgic Steel Orchestra

3 Ice Water Pan Ensemble

4 Belmont Hi-Larks

5 Pan Stereonettes Steel Orchestra

6 Chord Masters Steel Orchestra

7 Platinum Steel Orchestra

8 East Phonics Steel Orchestra

9 Trinidad East Side Symphony

10 Pan Elites Steel Orchestra

11 New Age Trendsetters

12 Metro Stars Steel Orchestra

13 Hope Pan Groovers

14 Nostrand Symphony Steel Orchestra

15 La Romaine Super Vibes

16 TT Police Service Steel Orchestra

17 La Creole Pan Groove

18 Scrunters Pan Groove

19 TT Fire Service Steel Orchestra

20 TT Prison Service Steel Orchestra

21 Gonzales Sheikers

22 Arima All Stars Steel Orchestra

23 Uni Stars Steel Orchestra

24 San Juan All Stars Steel Orchestra

25 San Juan East Side Symphony Steel Orchestra