PAN Under the Twinkling Light of the Stars

NCF Sponsors Take a Hands-On Approach

The National Cultural Foundation says its sponsors understand the importance of the season and take a hands-on approach to their investments, getting intimately involved and becoming an extended part of the NCF family.

The Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Cranston Browne commended partners First Citizens Investment Services in association with the Insurance Corporation of Barbados for their commitment to the festival, and expressed the organisation’s sincere gratitude for their support in the staging of this year’s Pan Fusion billed ‘The Merger’.  He acknowledged that the efforts of the NCF in staging these events would be for naught without the support of these valued partners.

At a launch held this morning on the serene, picturesque grounds of the Ilaro Court, the NCF teamed up with its partners to sample a taste of this Merger, which is expected to offer patrons the usual feast for their musical taste buds with a few surprise performances, as once again Ilaro Court is transformed into a natural amphitheatre.

Mr. Browne announced that ‘The Merger’ would result in an excellent fusion of the best in Pan from Barbados and the twin island republic Trinidad & Tobago, expressing pride at the fact that the 25-piece Pan ensemble the National Steel Symphony Orchestra (NSSO) of Trinidad and Tobago would be making their inaugural performance in Barbados on the Pan Fusion stage.

NSSO is known for exclusively utilising the Genesis Pans (“G” Pans) developed at UWI, St. Augustine by award winner Professor Brian Copeland, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Their long lists of credits include performances at home and throughout the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

Before leaving the island NSSO will also be imparting some of their knowledge on the “G” Pan through practical and educational workshops on Friday, July 12 at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed for anybody interested in learning about Pan.

He also mentioned that this merger, this sharing of our culture, was made possible through an association with the Division of Culture in their Trinidadian sister Ministry, the Ministry of Arts & Multiculturalism.

The NCF has secured the legendary Pan virtuoso Trinidadian Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe for this year’s Pan Fusion experience.  This Maestro of Pan needs no introduction – he has been in the industry for more than 30 years and is perhaps one of the most successful and popular composers and arrangers of Steelpan music.

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Representing from Barbados we can expect one of this island’s best steelpan players, young jazz artiste and a dedicated teacher of music, Andre Forde to grace this national stage.

Andre Forde has been performing since the age of 12 and some of the highlights of his career include local, regional and international performances – a stint with Amoco Renegades in what some call the home of pan music Trinidad; the Barbados Pan Festival where he shared the same stage as notable local Jazz figures like David Burnett, Miles Robertson and Andre Woodvine; and among his international appearances the Delaware Pan Festival with Jazz Quartet C4.  His genuine love for music has also afforded him the chance to be a part of other bands opening for international acts like Eryka Badu and Angie Stone.

The popularity of Pan is growing in Barbados, seen through the increasing crowds at these events from year-to-year, and evidenced by the interest in the many workshops developed and implemented by the music desk of the NCF’s Cultural Development Department.

As with many of the Crop Over events produced by the Foundation these national stages are paved with opportunity, not only for the promotion of Pan and the expanding pool of talented musicians on island, but also for exposure of the many graduates of the Pan workshops representing the successes of the organisation’s music programmes.

One of the successes named as being part of this year’s event is the group ‘Pan in the Plaza,’ formed by young graduates of the Cultural Development Department’s workshops.  They will provide the sweet sounds of pan, patrons will hear as they enter the Ilaro Court grounds on that evening.

In closing the NCF’s CEO Mr. Browne, reaffirmed the commitment of the people and programmes of the NCF to the growth and development of the art form and to continuing to create opportunities for budding musicians to showcase their talents on a national stage.

The First Citizens Pan Fusion in association with ICBL is scheduled for Thursday, July 11, 2013.