The 2025 National Panorama Small Conventional Finals ended in a tie on Saturday as the T&TEC New East Side Dimension and Golden Hands Orchestras delivered scintillating performances, both scoring 279 points and sharing the championship title.
Pan lovers celebrated at Skinner Park as Southern Stars Orchestra came third with 276 points and Fusion Steel secured fourth with 271. The drama intensified when Todds Road Rhythm Raiders arrived late, narrowly avoiding disqualification after Pan Trinbago chairman Beverley Ramsey-Moore intervened.
Their resilience paid off as they tied for fifth place with Fascinators Pan Symphony, Uptown Fascinators, and Tokyo Steel Orchestra. Lord Nelson’s classic hit “Mih Lover,” was performed by Golden Hands and Southern Stars, especially when the calypso legend himself made a surprise stage appearance.
Speaking with Guardian Media after the results were announced, Kersh Ramsey, arranger for T&TEC New East Side Dimension, expressed pride in the shared victory. “This is my second win in two years.
When you win alone, it’s sweeter, but we are still champions,” Ramsey said. “Kudos to Golden Hands—they gave a finalist performance tonight. The results could have gone either way, but I’m grateful,” he added.
Ramsey highlighted the challenges his Tobago-based band faced in competing. “Bands in Trinidad have four nights to practice but we only have one because our pans are on the boat back to Tobago, and my players are from the country.
We are at a disadvantage when all the other bands have four nights to prepare but we only have one because of the travelling back and forth” he said. Meanwhile, Golden Hands arranger Vanessa Headley-Brewster said the win is a continuation of their legacy and a tribute to the steelpan art form.
“This is 33 years of building something from nothing, setting a gold standard. It’s a testament to the hard work and passion that goes into steelpan,” Headley-Brewster said. She emphasized the transformative power of the instrument and the global opportunities it presents.
“The world is ready for pan. It’s such a transformative instrument, and we need to focus on the positives and build on them,” she added.
T&T Defence Force Steel Orchestra earned in ninth place with 269 points, followed by First Citizens Tobago Panthers in tenth. Arima Golden Symphony placed 11th, St Margaret’s Superstars 12th, with Panosonic Connection and Road Block Steel Orchestra rounding out the competition in 13th and 14th places, respectively.