For more than nine decades, Trinidad All Stars has been part of the story of the steelpan in Trinidad and Tobago. Now, as the orchestra looks ahead, its representatives are speaking about a future that goes beyond performance alone.
Public Relations Officer Staci-Ann Patrick says the vision is the development of the band’s home into a wider cultural space.
“For Trinidad All-Stars, Neville Jules Junction, George and Duke Street, I would like people to walk into Trinidad All Star Steel Orchestra and see a multicultural performance site. I would like people to see how we can combine pan with other art forms and really make it a performance centre outside of the Queen’s Park Savannah or Jean Pierre Complex, outside of what people normally go to places for, for concerts.”
Ms Patrick says the vision also encompasses recognising the other necessary skills that support and sustain the steelpan ecosystem, including tuners, arrangers and designers.
“You can now say with pride that I want to be like Akua (Leith). I want to be a pannist, and then I want to be an entrepreneur, and I want to be able to show that we can make this an instrument that can significantly contribute to our revenue and our GDP.”
The future of the movement, members say, is also tied to how young people are introduced to pan’s history and discipline.
Hakim Goodridge, a member of Trinidad All Stars, says bands are playing their part, but there must be greater focus on the next generation.
“I would say bands are doing a good job. The steel pan movement is doing a good job right now. But I would say that we need to pay a lot more attention to the generation coming up because they are the ones who are going to take it and push it further than where we are pushing it.”
Alongside training and performance, Ms Patrick says there is an urgent need to preserve the voices behind the movement. She says the stories of pannists and those in related fields have not been properly recorded, creating a risk that important parts of the culture could be lost.
“We need to find a way to record our oral history. The oral history of pannists and the related jobs that go along with it has not been recorded. It has not been archived. And if we lose that, then we’re not gonna be able to adequately pass on what needs to be known to generations coming up.”
As the journey continues, the Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra is committed to bringing together performance, education and enterprise in an effort to support generations to come, while holding on to the history that shaped it.