by Golden Hands Steel Orchestra
Panorama 2020 has been an historic one. Besides being the first to span a two-year period (2019-2020), it will be the first to have a final staged in our sister isle, Tobago.
To me, more importantly is the historic accomplishment of a beautiful, young, vibrant female arranger Vanessa Alexandra Headley. She has single-handedly guided THREE conventional steelbands to Semi-finals and finals.
This is an epic achievement for Vanessa through her fresh and unique arranging style which she has been quietly and unrelentingly honing for years, in spite of great challenges.
They were:
- Golden Hands, her home band placed 6th out of a field of 40 Small Band contenders.
- Trinidad Valley Harps for the first time since 1969 (51 years) qualified for a Panorama semi-final.
- La Brea Nightingales, while no stranger to the finals, had not made it to a National semi-final since 2018 but did so in this year (2020).
It is quite disturbing to me that the genius and beauty of our Steelband women is still, in this new decade, under- celebrated while we focus on petty pan issues and grievances.
Congratulations Vanessa Alexandra Headley!! From GOLDEN HANDS.
Continue your pioneering musical journey that is definitely of world- changing impact!
Replies
Yeah people. Vanessa has music in her. 3bands wow. You know it's speed and volume these days. Bit I must say I don't really listen to other bands since hit, Bradley gone. I listened to Vanessa style.she has something there. Thanks for their music.
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I too am happy for meh girl Vanessa...But I suspect that the anyhowness of people playing all over the place did her effort in in the final alaysis...In general I find ALL the South bands were very weak at the preliminary stage...But say wha...Dem fellas done make dey money already and they know the Large bands will want players anyway...
Very poor performance by La Brea Nightingales Steel Orchestra, may not of made the cut if the band was in the medium category. Good tune selection, but the band played with no excitement, the arrangement sounded unfeeling. Hopefully improve next year for the competition.
Watch yuh STEP, Mr. Patrick!!! People on THIS FORUM doh like TOO MUCH HONESTY!!!
Yuh supposed to PRAISE all things PAN!!! However, ah QUALIFIED MUSICIAN from TRINIDAD call meh and tell meh the SAME THING that you just write about that arrangement.
So call it like you see it!!!
"Feeling It" - La Brea Nightingales Steel Orchestra (2020 LARGE BAND Semi-Finals)
....Congratulations are definitely in order to Vanessa Headley. Driven by a passion from an early age and nurtured in an environment of the love for music, it is really not surprising that Vanessa's talent continues to come to the attention to the world of music and in particular the music of the steelpan. Apart from her skills as a steelpan instrumentalist,and arranger, Vanessa is also an excellent composer of music and in 2018 was commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development Culture and the Arts in Trinidad and Tobago to compose an original piece of music for the Ministry's very successful Music Schools in the Community programme. The result was a composition titled "MUSIC MATTERS" which told a story of the celebration and the joy of youth and the resilience of the Human Spirit. Best wishes to you Vanessa as you continue your musical journey from the backyard of your origins on #134 Independence Avenue in San Fernando Trinidad to the World Stage.May you always remain "Young and Free"