By Khaila Gentle
BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 19, 2022
Following three days of prelims on May 6, 7 and 8, twenty steel pannists from across the globe have been selected to progress to the semifinals of the online steel pan competition known as PanoGrama, including Belize’s Alexander Evans who made it into the top 10.
Evans, who performed his arrangement of the song “Love Nwantiti,” the popular Afrobeats song by Nigerian artist Ckay, spoke with AMANDALA and told us that he’s happy to be providing some visibility for Belize.
“It’s something that means a lot to me, you know, to kind of offer a little bit more visibility in that Caribbean space for Belize,” he said in an interview earlier this month, noting how, quite often, Belize is overlooked in Caribbean spheres.
PanoGrama made history in April of 2020, when it became the first ever online steel pan competition. And on Sunday, May 29, at 6:00 p.m., twenty pannists will be heading to this year’s semifinals. They represent a total of eight countries: The United States, Canada, France, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, Belize, Saint Lucia and Grenada.
The list of top performers for this year’s prelims was published shortly after the final day of performances on May 8. In first place was David Yundi of the United States and in second place was Canada’s Gabriel Chartrand. While France’s Mathieu Borgne and Trinidad & Tobago’s Shaquille Forbes tied for third place, the latter nation had pannists placing 5th, 6th and 7th as well as 10th. Malik Smith from Antigua & Barbuda tied for 7th place with Christopher Neale, and Alexander Evans placed 9th.
The three main judges for the upcoming semifinals are Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin, an assistant professor of music at the University of Trinidad & Tobago, Professor Liam Teague of Northern Illinois University, and adjunct professor of music at George Mason University, Victor Provost.
The final night of performances will be on June 12, after which it will be revealed which pannist will take home prizes worth around $6,000 USD, including an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas.