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Soloists tie for
first at 'Pan is Beautiful IX'
Issue No. 829 Sunday GUARDIAN - October 18, 1998
Copyright 1997 The Trinidad Publishing Company Limited
Soloists, ten-year old Mia Gormandy and Bruce
Roberts, both members of Neal and Massy Trinidad All
Stars, tied for first place with a 250 points score as
the preliminary round of Pan Is Beautiful IX opened on
Friday night, Under The Trees at the Normandie hotel, St
Ann's.
Gormandy, playing a single tenor, earned wide audience
approval for a polished rendition of Johann Strauss'
"Voices of Spring," while Roberts using a similar
instrument gathered his marks for the spirited
interpretation of Chopin's "Minute Waltz."
Pan Is Beautiful IX, the 1998 edition of the biennial
Steelband Music Festival presented by Pan Trinbago,
featured competition among soloists, duets, quartets and
ensembles from bands registered with the northern region
of the national steelband organisation.
Among the duets, Desiree Myers and Rudolph Williams of
Petrotrin Invaders scored 260 points to win the
category, combining a tenor and four-pan cello to offer
a scintillating version of Mozart's "Turkish March."
The lone competitor in the quartets' category was also
from Trinidad All Stars. Bruce Roberts, Charmaine Evans,
Sule Sampson and Sherma Babb together utilised two
tenors, one double tenor and a tenor bass to give
interpretation to Vivaldi's "La Primavara" (third
movement) for a score of 234 points.
In the ensemble category which required entrants to
present two selections, the 12-member Super Sonics,
appearing last on the programme, placed first with a
combined score of 504 points for its two selections of
choice - David Rudder's "Calypso Music" (Caribbean) and
Mark Loquan's "Land For All" (Other).
Starting promptly at 8.30 pm, before a large audience
comprised mainly of foreign visitors and hotel guests,
the playbill included performances by ten soloists, four
duets, one quartet and eight ensembles.
Minister of Culture and Gender Affairs, Dr Daphne
Phillips, in declaring the Festival open, noted that
"pan had distinguished itself in the most sophisticated
forums." Vice-president of Pan Trinbago Keith Byer said
the Festival was not an isolated event, but the
preliminary to the World Steelband Music Festival
scheduled to be held in Trinidad and Tobago in the year
2000.
For patrons at the show, the length of the programme,
caused primarily by the time taken to change around
instruments on the stage, proved too much; many quitted
the venue long before the final competitor completed
performing at 1.45 am yesterday.
The panel of judges comprised Merle Albino-De Coteau, Dr
Anne Marion Osborne, Dr Patricia Dardain-Ragguet and
Satanand Sharma.
Pan Is Beautiful IX continued with preliminaries in
Tobago last night. On October 20, it will be the eastern
region's turn at the Centre of Excellence in Tunapuna
where preliminary competition will be held from 8.30 pm. |
