Scotia praises South East Orchestra’s efforts

Although they placed second in the Panorama competition last week Thursday, the South East Steel Orchestra has come in for high praise by their sponsor, the Bank of Nova Scotia.{{more}}

Scotiabank Personal Banking Oofficer Janine DeFreitas said that her institution was “extremely proud” of the orchestra, which on the night of the competition comprised 70 members from the village of Stubbs and its environs, with some players being as young as nine years old.

The group moved up a notch from third place last year.

“They performed exceptionally well, and they represented exactly what Scotiabank stands for: Excellence,” Defreitas said.

The orchestra placed second with a rendition of Alston “Becket” Cyrus’s “Ooh La La,” an expression that symbolizes surprise.

The orchestra is directed by Marla Nanton, with Kevon Guy the band’s captain. The music for this year’s presentation was skilfully arranged by Barry Mannette.

Defreitas said that her institution is thoroughly satisfied with the effort put in by the orchestra, and that the band can expect further support in upcoming Panorama competitions.

“On a whole, Scotiabank is satisfied with our contribution to Carnival this year, beginning with the sponsorship of the day launch of Vincy Mas in May.

“We also sponsored the Youlou Pan Movement’s Solo Pan Clash in June, and we decorated the bank with Carnival costumes and “Carnival colours” that were well received by our customers.

“We hope to work along closely with both the South East Steel Orchestra, as well as the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), to work towards the development of pan and culture on a whole,” Defreitas said.(JJ)