Steve Achaiba's children hoping to repeat his Panorama victory

WITH blazing pans, arrangers for a San Fernando secondary school panside are going into this weekend's competition confident of a victory with a tune which won their father the coveted National Panorama large band title 50 years ago.

Steve Achaiba created history for Hatters Steel Orchestra by winning the title with Kitchener's Tribute to Spree Simon in 1975.

No other south band has been able to reach that pinnacle since.

Two of Achaiba's children – Jonathan and Adrianna Achaiba – are now arrangers for St Joseph's Convent SJC Blue Steel from Harris Promenade, San Fernando.

The arrangers and Blue Steel have been knocking on the doors of the National Schools' Panorama Competition for years, but always fell short. This year, they believe they have the winning formula and are going for victory with the same song.

Blue Steel, which has a few players from other schools, has been honing the players' skills at Pan Elders panyard on Carib Street, San Fernando, getting ready for the February 2 final competition at Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

It was among six outstanding south secondary schools which delivered unforgettable performances during the preliminary judging on January 22.

As he introduced the band to the panel of judges, Jonathan explained, “It is 50 years – 1975 – since my father won the national large band Panorama competition with Hatters Steel Orchestra. In tribute to him, my sister and I decided to take the same song, with our twist and passion and fusion from the youths of today.

“This song is about honouring legends and people of the past who have paved the way for us to appreciate pan as it is right now. This one is for you, Dad.”

Neil Simon, arranger for its sister school and defending champion Holy Faith Convent, Penal, is promising it will not be easy to unseat them, as they too are going for double victory.

Simon is hoping to repeat the victory with an arrangement of the memorable Pan By Storm. He said the choice was automatic, after being invited by the family of the late composer and pan icon Ken “Professor” Philmore to play this selection, vocalised by Designer, at a tribute concert in his honour in 2024.

This sealed their decision to continue its homage to Professor's remarkable legacy.

After the band's performance at Panasonic panyard, Macoon Street, San Fernando, Simon said he was pleased with how well the convent girls executed the music.

“As defending champions there was a lot of pressure and expectations from us, but our focus was on delivering good music. I am old school and I believe in good music,. The frills and antics enhance the performance, but we don't want sprinkles and icing and no cake. We have to ensure the cake is solid first. I told the girls as much: as it is a competition, focus on executing and enjoying the music and giving a good offering to the audience.
"We did that and we are satisfied with what we did.”

He is promising an exciting final performance on February 2.

Pure emotions and heart influenced the selections of some of the competing schools, who showed their passion and appreciation for the instrument.

Honouring a pan pioneer, honouring past legends, proving one's capability and entering into the fray as a first-timer with something positive,were the influences shaping schools' tunes of choice.

Arranger for two-time champion Naps Combine (Naparima Girls' High School and Naparima College), Desree Seecharan is about proving a point about her ability to take the band back to the top, and is using Bunji and Machel Montano's Buss Head to achieve this feat.

Bunji's Bad Soca brought glory to the students in 2023 and they are hoping the Black Spaniard will do it for them again in 2025.

She said the song is personal.

“You know sometimes you go through things in life? I was listening and looking for a song for 2025 and that one about 'We eh 'fraid nobody' hit home.”

A past student of NGHS, Seecharan explained since the band's inception in 2018, she and her partner Shaquille Vincent, who is now the arranger for the TT Defence Force steel orchestra, have been co-arrangers. She also served as drill master.

“Shaquille qualified for a Panorama finals, so he can no longer arrange for the school bands. This year, the responsibility fell on me.
"But there was a lot of chatter that I could not do it, that Shaq was the one who did the arrangement and he just added my name.
“I felt this was my time to prove I could do it on my own, to show the naysayers that I am able, I eh 'fraid nobody.”

Presentation College, San Fernando, would have loved to make its grand entrance into the finals for 2025, but failed to advance after the preliminaries.

Bandleader and music teacher Cedel Hinds is not daunted and is looking forward to coming better and stronger for 2026.

He told the Newsday while their ideal was to select one of the bumper tunes of one of their proud alumni – Machel Montano or Kees Dieffenthaller – they opted for an arrangement of Farmer Nappy's How Ah Living by past pupil Kaymani McPhie.

“We wanted a positive song suited to the challenges we faced in building the infrastructure and practising on borrowed instruments, in a borrowed space on the compound, that competed with school time.

“In spite of all of the challenges, we living better than them. No worry, we living real good despite the challenges.”

In the preliminary round of the secondary schools competition, which saw 22 schools competing, the combined team of CIC/St Joseph Convent also scored top marks (357) with its arrangement of How ah Living.

This was also the tune of choice for QRC/Providence, which placed seventh in a tie with defending champs Holy Faith Convent.

Also facing the adjudicators in the south on January 22, also at Pan Elders panyard, was La Romaine Secondary School, which performed Machel Montano's The Fog.

Former student and Fonclaire's junior captain Jabarie Davis led Pleasantville Secondary in a rousing arrangement of Shurwayne Winchester's Dead or Alive.

Only three of the six south bands have qualified for the ten spots in the finals.

Judging begins at 9 am for the primary schools. Secondary schools will follow and later in the afternoon, the qualifying Under 21 bands will be adjudicated.

A total of 22 bands in the non-school or Under 21 category participated in the preliminary round between January 24 and 28. The last band to be judged, Redemption Sound Setters Youth Steel Orchestra, was still waiting to be judged after 3 on January 28.

Usually, ten bands in this category advance to the finals. Results are expected to be announced on January 29.

Order of appearance for secondary schools

South East Port of Spain Government

St Joseph Convent, San Fernando

El Dorado East

Bishop Anstey and Trinity College East

Holy Faith Convent, Penal

St Francois Girls' College

CIC/St Joseph Convent

QRC/Providence

Bishop Anstey High School, Port of Spain

Naparima Girls' High School/Boys' College.

Primary schools

Twelve primary schools will square off in the finals on February 2 hoping to wrest the title from St Margaret's Boys' AC of Belmont.

Three of the 12 will perform in the racked category, and nine in the stationary category.

Order of appearance, racked category:

Febeau Government Primary

St Margaret's Boys' AC

San Fernando Boys' RC

Stationary category:

Morvant Epiphany AC

Guaico Presbyterian

Nelson Street Boys RC

St Mary's Government

St Paul's Boys 'AC

Couva AC

Newtown Boys' and Girls' RC

Bethlehem Boys' and Girls' RC

San Fernando Girls' Government Primary