By Lincoln DePradine

Panorama, the competition held annually in Toronto to determine the top steel orchestra in Canada, will be hosted at a new venue this year, and will be missing a longtime member-band of the Ontario Steelpan Association (OSA).

The contest, also referred to as “Pan Alive”, is moving from Lamport Stadium on King Street to Exhibition Place, where the majority of events of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival organizers are being held this year.

“The bands are practising hard. We’re expecting an exciting competition,” OSA president Terrence Wilson told The Caribbean Camera.

The competition will have one less regular band this year. Absent will be St Jamestown Youth Centre Steel Orchestra that was managed for several years by former OSA president, Ken Bhagan. He died last December 25 at 77.

Pan Fantasy enters this year’s panorama as defending champions. In 2023, Fantasy – and four other steelbands – performed a rendition of Olatunji’s “Engine Room’’ in the competition.

For the August 2 panorama championship, the tune of choice by the seven competing bands is more varied, Wilson said.

This year, only three bands are playing the same song, “Inventor”, said Wilson.

In the past, including last year, many musicians and pan supporters criticized Lamport Stadium as a less than appropriate venue for hosting panorama.

Wilson has described Exhibition Place as “workable”, and allowing for innovations such as having steelbands wheel their pans onto the stage.

“It’s very workable with limited adjustments for our show,’’ said Wilson. “We’re working with the bands and trying to get them as mobile as possible.’’

Another innovation to the Toronto event will be establishing a pre-performance area at the competition site, similar to what’s known at Trinidad’s panorama as “The Drag”.

“It will be a stationary point and, while one band is setting up, another band could be rehearsing and warming up,’’ Wilson explained. “And, the patrons will have access to go to the bands and then go back to their seats at any time. We have already done the draw as to how the bands will be playing.”

The bands will appear in the following order: New Dimension; Forest Creek; Silhouettes; Panatics; Afropan; Pan Masters; and Pan Fantasy in the final slot. Pna Fantasy has won every OSA-organized panorama since 2012. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Toronto panoramas of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Panorama 2024 “is going to be very, very interesting”, Wilson reiterated.

Trinidad-based Supernovas Steel Orchestra will be in Toronto during the carnival celebrations and will be a guest performer at the panorama and at another event of OSA, “Pan In D Park”.

Supernovas was formed in 2010 under the leadership of Amrit Samaroo, son of the famous Renegades Steel Orchestra arranger, the late Jit Samaroo.

In 2014, Supernovas won Trinidad and Tobago’s panorama in the “Small Band Category”.

Two years later, in the “Large Band Category”, Supernovas placed second to Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.

One feature of Pan In D Park will be a “Bomb Tune” competition among steel orchestras. Each would play a song that is not a soca or calypso. But, it must be arranged to a calypso rhythm.

Pan In D Park is Sunday, August 4, 2 pm – 10 pm, at Neilson Park, 1555 Neilson Road, Scarborough.

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter