Normally associated with the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, steel pan music has been an important feature of previous Carifesta celebrations. As was the case in the past, steel pan music is expected to be a prominent feature in this year’s Carifesta activities.
And if everything goes according to plan, the opening and closing ceremonies of Carifesta X will showcase a 100-member national steel orchestra.
At the opening ceremony the band is expected to play 100 pieces, and these range from classical to more contemporary soca, reggae and dancehall renditions.
Assistant Commissioner Cecil Bovell, who is the Chairman of the Joint Services Cultural Committee, is overseeing the band. According to reports he was instrumental in the musical arrangement of many of the pieces the band will play at the opening ceremony. But the day-to-day management of the band is the responsibility of Andrew Tyndall who is attached to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Tyndall has been working assiduously over the past two months with band members to ensure that they are fully ready for Carifesta.
According to Tyndall, the national band is supposed to be a joint venture between the Joint Services and the Ministry of Culture.
He explained though that members from local pan groups were invited to join the band. So far, he said that there are 55 confirmed steel pan players with several of these members coming from private and school bands.
He explained that the rest of the contingent will be made up by members of the Joint Services.
Tyndall explained that apart from the opening and closing ceremonies the band will also be part of the Carifesta activities. He said that the 100-member band will be divided into smaller groups and they will be present at the various venues during the festivities. He also informed this newspaper that some band members will be stationed at the airport from August 18 to September 5 to welcome the delegations when they arrive and to bid them farewell as they leave.
Stabroek News recently spoke with a few of the band members, who shared their views about being part of the national steel orchestra and their opinions about Carifesta.
Third time
Sixty-six year old Roy Hinds has been playing the steel pan for over 40 years and this will be the third time he will be participating in Carifesta. Hinds says that he was part of the first two celebrations held in 1972 and 1976, and is excited about being part of Carifesta once again. He acknowledges, though that nothing could beat the excitement of the first Carifesta. He, however, lamented the fact that the young steel pan players are not as dedicated as they should be and he hopes that the young players will learn from the Trinidad national steel orchestra when they perform during the festival.
Ras Camo Williams plays the double tenor in the band. And he is also one of the persons responsible for arranging the music for the band. He is an experienced steel pan player and says that in his younger days he did several innovative things with the steel pan, though some of his innovativeness was not always met with approval. Today, he is widely respected for his skill as a pan player and is involved in training school children to play the instrument. This is the second time he will be participating in Carifesta and he is extremely pleased that an effort is being made “to bring back the pan in Guyana.”
Kellisha Edwards is what you can metaphorically describe as one of the few roses among the thorns since she is one of the few female band members. The 14-year-old has been playing the steel pan for three years, and as can be expected, has never performed at an event as big as Carifesta. She says “it is an honour to play at such an event since not many people get an opportunity to do this”. In spite of her relative inexperience at steel-pan playing, the soft-spoken young woman says that she is not nervous about performing and is eagerly looking forward to doing her best at Carifesta.
“Yes, I’m looking forward to being part of the rich cultural experience and to providing satisfaction to the general public” was the response of Kevin Tucker, when asked if he was looking forward to participating in Carifesta. Although he loves playing the steel pan, Tucker has described the band’s preparations as being very “rigorous” and as something that “called for great sacrifice.” The 17-year-old has been playing the steel pan for the last four years and he plays the sixth bass.
Overall, Tyndall believes that the band has many skilled musicians, and he feels the band has a good mixture of youth and experience. He is pleased with the work ethic of the band and promises that the orchestra will do its best to make Carifesta X, a memorable experience for all involved.
