UK NATIONAL STEELBAND PANORAMA 2023 ROUNDUP - CROYDON STEEL ORCHESTRA
Croydon Steel Orchestra (CSO) is a youth and community steel band that was set up in 2000. CSO was reformed after their predecessor, Croydon Schools Steel Orchestra folded. The orchestra consists of musicians from two regional area steel bands in Croydon: New Addington and Woodside. The orchestra's musical director is Paul Dowie and he is responsible for the musical arrangements. CSO aims to promote “pan” as a style of music and the steel band as a family of instruments in their own right. CSO also aims to promote the tuition of steel band in schools, enabling as many children as possible the opportunity to learn the art of pan.
CSO has been competing in the UK National Steelband Panorama competition for the past twenty years. Their first appearance in 2003 was iconic for their players. Paul Dowie, the Founder and Musical Director/Manager of this steel orchestra has certainly created a musical platform for the young people of Croydon and surrounding boroughs to attend, learn, experiment, explore and perform musical renditions in various genres at numerous venues. Their players were part of the UKASPO band who played at the Queen’s Jubilee in 2022 at Buckingham Palace.
CSO’S Young talented players
Paul continues to inspire his band of youthful, talented and energetic players to achieve their best results at all times. The following arrangers have done the musical arrangements for CSO in the stated years. In 2009 and 2014 - Arddin Herbert, 2015 and 2016 – David Ijaduola and 2017 – Brent Holder MBE.
Paul Dowie on the Iron!
This year Paul Dowie has given Rashaun Myers Williams the opportunity to take up the arranging mantle. Rashaun is 22 years old and the current musical arranger for the Shell Invaders Youth Steel Orchestra and has made significant progress arranging for the band in the Trinidad Junior Panorama competition recently. He has been playing with Invaders steel Orchestra since 2011.Rashaun is the son of Desiree Myers, Musical Director, of Invaders Steel Orchestra and Chairperson of Pan Trinbago’s Northern Region. This is Rashaun’s first experience of arranging for an International Panorama.
Rashaun Myers Williams
This year, CSO’s Panorama band will be made up of eighty players.
Manager: Paul Dowie
Arranger: Rashaun Myers Williams
Captain: Temilolu Obisesan
Tuner: Emily Lemmerman
Tune of Choice: Raising Dust by Johnny Douglas
There are seven steelbands vying for the title this year, Ebony – the reigning champions, Mangrove, Metronomes, CSO, Pan Nation, Real Steel and Southside Harmonics.
The event is hosted by NHC/BAS, and will be held on the 26th August 2023 at the Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, Kensal Road, London W10 5EG.
The gates open at 4:00p.m. and the event ends at 12:00 a.m.
Tickets are available online @ nhcarnival.org/panorama.
Tickets: £20
Children - £7
Children under five accompanied with an adult - Free
CSO players enjoying their performance.
