Steel pan took over the Carnival Village at the Fort Christian parking lot in Charlotte Amalie on Sunday night, as Pan-O-Rama brought nine bands into one of the most anticipated events of St. Thomas Carnival.
The night opened with the Ulla F. Muller Panatics, one of the youngest groups in the lineup. For third graders Arlett Mivar, Sianii Amory, and Jayda Hodge, it was their second year playing — and a very different experience from the first. Practices on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays added up, and they said they’ve grown not just as players, but as a group. “At first we were shy,” Amory said said. “But then we all got to know each other.”
That growth showed in their set, especially in “Sound of Carnival” and “Lovely Day”, two of their favorites. By the time they reached the final section, the nerves were still real. “My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t even breathe,” Mivar said. “I was so nervous – but, I think we nailed it.”
Behind them, instructor Francis Wenner said this year has been about rebuilding. The group added about a dozen new members, even as participation has become harder to balance with other school activities. “Once you sign up with steel pan, you can’t do anything that conflicts with practice or performances,” she said, explaining why the band brought a smaller set than usual. Still, she said, the result reflected the work. “I’m so happy with everything and how it came out.”
That work has come with added challenges. Without a dedicated pan yard, the group now practices on school grounds, setting up and breaking down instruments each time after losing its original space to storm damage.
From there, the lineup moved into a mix of programs at different stages, many of them seeing growth in both size and confidence. The Charlotte Amalie High School Mellow Hawks Steel Orchestra, led by Eljhaie Braithwaite, is also still rebuilding, but steadily expanding. Braithwaite said he started in 2021 with just one student — a number that has since grown as interest returned and students committed to the program.
This year’s performance included “Carnival in the Air,” a composition by senior Jordan Johnson, who played Sunday night with the Rising Stars Youth Steel Pan Orchestra, and plans to study music after graduation after being accepted to Berklee College of Music and George Mason. For Braithwaite, bringing student work into the set is part of rebuilding the program’s foundation and giving students ownership of the music.
For the Love City Pan Dragons out of St. John, that growth showed up in how students approached the instrument itself. Players switched pans and stepped into unfamiliar parts, building a fuller sound as they prepared for Panorama through daily practices after school and extended sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.
“They’ve really bonded because of all the time they spend together,” said Executive Director Andrea Milam. She said the shift pushed students to try instruments they don’t usually play, adding new layers to the band’s overall sound. “To me, they look natural,” she said. “Because they’ve had that experience already.”
That comfort, she said, came from repetition — the long practices, the time spent learning different parts, and the willingness to step into something new. It’s also part of what has kept students engaged, building both confidence and flexibility within the group as they continue to grow.
The program itself reflects that same continuity. Instructor Ronald Lee Jr., who helped shape the band, returned after college to work with students alongside longtime instructor Akima Dyer — guiding a group that is expanding not just in size, but in how it approaches the music.
Growth showed up clearly with GenFusion, where arranger Kareem Forbes said the band increased from 35 players last year to 44 this season, with more expected to join. That expansion came with a shift in approach. This year, the group leaned into a more layered performance style, blending music with added visual elements – like throwing powder -while still focusing on consistency in practice. “It’s harder,” Forbes said, noting the added coordination, “but once you’re motivated and doing it every day, it gets easier.”
Forbes said the band built its set to connect with the audience, moving through a mix that included a St. Croix selection, newer regional music out of Trinidad, and a closing medley of familiar soca and dancehall tracks. At the same time, he pointed to the group’s continued growth not just in numbers, but in who is participating. GenFusion includes players with varying levels of experience and ability, something Forbes sees as central to the program. “Music is the universal language,” he said, adding that the goal is to create space for everyone to be part of the performance.
Later in the night, the V.I. Superior Court’s Rising Stars Youth Steel Pan Orchestra marked its 45th year, bringing a group that continues to mix experience with younger players stepping in. Students like Khennai Hendrington and Jai Hodge – who stepped out front three bumping trolleys in a mini-pan line, with Jordan Johnson included – pointed to the connection within the band as what carries them through each performance. “We all support the band,” Hendrington said. Hodge, who has been around pan for years, said it comes down to what the group builds together. “Each song is good,” he said. “But the vibes we have add on to it and make it a thousand times better.”
For Johnson, moving between composition and performance, that connection is just as important. “Without them, I wouldn’t have had the energy to be out here the entire time,” he said of Hedrington and Hodge, describing how the group feeds off each other on stage.
Around them, the crowd stayed close — recording, watching, and dancing as each band worked through its set, moving between groups throughout the night.
By the end of Panorama, what stood out was how much the programs themselves are growing — in size, in confidence, and in sound. Across all nine bands, that growth showed not just in the performances, but in the way students stepped into new roles, supported each other, and carried the music forward.
