THE annual Mashramani Panorama competition has proven yet again why it is one of the events to look forward to, during the month of February.

The competition began last Thursday with the smaller categories, at the Theatre Guild Playhouse. The younger pan players were up first in the Junior Soloist category. Luana Barkoye, the sole female in this category, managed to ease her way to third place. It was Vijay Sharma who took second while Daniel Daly took the top spot.

In the Senior Soloist category, Michael Smith Jr., playing his ‘Lightning’ rendition and Reon Miller in his Chinese-themed ensemble, tied for the third place. It became a close race between Darius Austin and Hanani Ben Lewi, but the judges had decided that the opening performance given by Lewi was superior.

The rivalry between Hanani and Darius was short lived, as they had to team up in the Pan Duet category, right after their individual battle. Their partnership earned them second position, losing only to Clayton Daniels and Tareque Mentore.

And, closing off the night at the Theatre Guild was the much larger, Pan Jazz category. Here, the pan bands had to reinterpret jazz songs and present it on the metal instruments. The Kunjazzz Ensemble clearly beat out the other two competitors- even as the Parkside Steel orchestra, featuring Hanani’s antics and command of the pan, tried valiantly. The Pan Jammers settled for third place.

On Sunday however, it was pan like never before, as the schools and bands went all out- in their costumes, dances and performances.
The small school bands started off the competition in a much more mellow way, but the purple-dressed President’s College knew how to get the crowd going (though they only copped second, losing to the Dolphin Secondary).
By the time the afternoon turned into night and the larger bands took the stage, it was pandemonium. The Bishop’s High School apparently brought the entire school population out to support their ‘Mama, I don’t want to be born’ while, ‘West Dem’ came dressed ready to protect ‘We own’ from Venezuela. But even these two could not beat the Ray Sparman led GBTI Buxton Pride Orchestra.

And as expected, the Large Band category had the crowd on their feet at all times, as the National School of Music, Steel Orchestra, the Parkside Orchestra and the Guyana Police Force battled for supremacy. Last year’s winners- the National School of Music came outfitted with their masqueraders and colourful ensemble-while in direct contrast was the Parkside orchestra, dressed in white, keeping it simple and crisp.
But neither of them could compare to the sheer ingenuity of the Police Force Band (also led by Sparman), as they panned Jomo Primo’s Tribute! You better believe when the results were announced, everyone surrounded the police band and the ‘Tribute’ was given again.