Starlift is now 50

The Starlift Steel Orchestra is celebrating its 50th anniversary under the theme ‘We 50!’

The celebrations were launched at a media conference on March 1, and on March 4 and 5, members of the orchestra cleaned the river at Block 2000) in collaboration with the Central Water and Sewerage Authority.

This Sunday, March 12, Starlift will hold a Thanksgiving Service at the Kingstown Methodist Church from 4 p.m. and on Tuesday, March 14, National Heroes Day, a Community Concert will be held at Block 2000, outside the Singer Storeroom from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is a free concert, at which Walter “Tanny” Peters, founder of Starlift, will be honoured.

During the year, Starlift will conduct islandwide open air concerts.

The curtains will come down on the celebrations with a concert scheduled for December 16, 2017 at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.

The Starlift Steel Orchestra, a registered non-profit organization, was established in 1967, as a result of the efforts of several persons from the area commonly known as Old Montrose. Included among the pioneers were: Simeon “Spitter” Antrobus, Cedric “Teddy Mice” Samuel, Hugh “Paddy Hugh” Williams, Walton “Tanny” Peters and Gideon “Socks” Da Silva.

With a motto: “MEN WILL COME! MEN WILL GO! BUT STARLIFT FOREVER REMAINS,” Starlift’s membership now crosses social and economic boundaries and includes persons from the New Montrose area and even from outside the immediate communities.

During its 48 years of unbroken activity, the Starlift Steel Orchestra has done itself proud.

It is listed in the annals of Caribbean steel-band history as the band with the most Panorama successes. This record stands at 22 victories here in SVG, since the inception of the competition in the 1960s. This also includes years when there was no Panorama. The Junior Band has also gone on to capture seven Panorama titles since the inception of this competition in the 1980s.

Starlift has also participated in National Music Festivals and in 1974 the band emerged as joint champions of that year’s festival and was crowned the Champion of Champions.

The current membership reflects the results of a development programme introduced by Starlift and stands at approximately 140 active members.