THIRTY-ONE dynamic steelbands in the small conventional band category will compete on January 18, at Victoria Square, Port of Spain, for one of 14 spots in the finals to be held on January 25 at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
Among them is the rejuvenated Silver Harps Steel Orchestra, which will be performing in the national semis for the first time in 37 years. This has evoked euphoria among members.
The band last played in the Panorama competition in 1988.
Manager Cheryl Daniel Mc Intosh explained the band had its origin in Cedros in the 1960s, but moved to Salazar Trace, Point Fortin, in 1973.
[caption id="attachment_1133250" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Panasonic Connection Steel Orchestra -[/caption]
Its "hall-of-fame" records include being victorious in the 1973 Point Fortin Panorama competition and being the first band from the borough to make it to the national Panorama finals in 1980.
Though it was dormant for almost three decades following its heyday, 2016 saw a rebirth of Silver Harps, which Mc Intosh said is on a mission to preserve a cultural legacy in the community.
With a new generation of players, the band again competed in Pan Trinbago's Small Conventional Steelband preliminaries, playing its hearts out with a collective arrangement of SuperBlue’s Virginia by Oliver Hospedales, Kalisha Mc Intosh and Hudson Henry.
Point Fortin calypso/soca icon SuperBlue was on hand, supporting and hyping up the players before judges Michelle Dowrich, Dr Mia Gormandy-Benjamin, Joanna Short and Joanna Ragbir-Lesley made their appearance. The band scored 248 points, tying with Road Block Steel Orchestra and West Stars in position number 23, out of the 44 bands that participated in the preliminaries.
Mc Intosh said placing in the semifinals is akin to victory, which has given her band members, consisting of mainly youths from aged five and upwards, a confidence boost.
[caption id="attachment_1133249" align="alignnone" width="1024"] T&TEC New East Side Dimension will end the Small Conventional Bands semifinal playing at number 31. -[/caption]
“Since 2006, we just reassembled the band and engaged the youths to keep them off the streets, and it has.
"They never expected to reach this far. To them this is a great achievement. It has also united the community, so much that on Saturday they have hired buses to come up to Victoria Square and support the players.”
Their success has also earned invitations from the Borough of Point Fortin for the Carnival event Pan on the Parkway and to play on the road for Carnival.
Coincidentally, the band will also play at number 23 in the competition, which will see Arima Golden Symphony opening what is expected to be an unforgettable experience, scheduled to begin at 4 pm.
Reigning champion T&TEC New East Side Dimension of Tobago will end the show, playing at number 31.
Golden Hands
Former 2018 winner Golden Hands steel orchestra will perform at number 9.
For Golden Hands, its participation in this year’s festival was touch and go for several rea