Bream Bay: College steel pan band strikes right note at music fest

[Pan Times]

BREAM BAY COMMUNITY SPIRIT

The Panimals playing at PANZfest 2019 in Melbourne: Laura Corbet (front left), Scott Brown, Hayden Bartlett, Maraea Henry, Joseph Brady (back left) and Mirabella Uphof. Photo / Holly Munford

Rocklea, Queensland, Australia - Bream Bay College's steel pan musicians are buzzing after four days of international musical interactions, and the prospect of collaborating with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Twelve students, accompanied by parents and two staff members Scott Brown and Vivienne Milton, headed across to Brisbane last week for PANZfest 2019, a celebration of steel pan band music.

Bream Bay's bands are The Panimals and Steel Pandas. The students had a massive impact on the festival, which was predominantly made up of adult bands, said Brown.

The Panimals arranged and performed their own Panorama piece "Outta de Box" which won second place in the Arrangement category.

....Mirabella Uphof and Maraea Henry took an amazing opportunity and performed "Fanfare for the Common Man" on pan with the Kelvin Grove Wind Orchestra, which opened the festival.

Around 70 wind instruments accompanied by steelpan produced an incredible sound, said Brown.

....Steel Panda's performance later in the day had the audience dancing and singing along.

....The Panimals are currently in discussion to collaborate with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra later this year.

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