Uncategorized

Youth Steel Orchestra ready to rock Pandemonium

Prepare to be dazzled by the Barbados National Youth Steel Orchestra as they grace the Republic Bank Pandemonium stage on Sunday July 16, as headliners of the event.

The National Cultural Foundation-produced Republic Bank Pandemonium, which takes place at the National Botanical Gardens has quickly become one of the most highly-anticipated events on the Crop Over calendar, with last year’s concert attracting over 15,000 patrons.

“Republic Bank has allowed us to turn Pandemonium into the biggest family-oriented event on the Crop Over Calendar,” said Chief Executive Officer of the NCF, Carol Roberts.

The event has also become the showcase event for the Barbados National Youth Steel Orchestra, which has experienced rapid growth in recent years.

Made up of students from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the island, as well as members of the general community, the group is led by Musical Director Lowrey Worrell and a competent team which includes: NCF’s Music Officer Kevin Moore, tutors and well-known musicians Dwight Callender, Hashim Durant, Paul Forde, Marke Forde, Omar Haynes, Judah Goddard and Cherise Thorne.

Speaking on the readiness of the players, Worrell stated: “I think everyone will be really impressed by the level members are operating at. Even the beginners that were recently promoted to the orchestra, everyone is working at a very, very high level, even higher than last year!”

Last year’s bar was indeed high, as it was so impressive that it encouraged some of the younger patrons to actually join the orchestra.

“A lot of our newer and younger members actually saw us perform last year, and when the show was over, they were at the side of the stage, asking questions like ‘how can we get involved?’ ‘How can we join?’” laughed Worrell.

“So a lot of our younger players now have come from seeing us perform. And I won’t lie, [the orchestra] worked real, real hard,” he went on, “we never really stop practicing, we might take a little break to give the members a breather but otherwise we are practicing every weekend, from as early as the end of last year’s [Republic Bank] Pandemonium.”

The intensive practice is necessary, according to Worrell, considering the amount of music band is expected to execute this coming Sunday.

“February is when we start preparing and learning the music, once we have the arrangements ready,” he stated.

“We do a lot of medleys, and we have a lot of really impressive arrangers too so it’s critical we get started early.

The members of the National Youth Steel Orchestra will be joined by a number of other steel pan groups, including Republic Bank Exodus, one of the leading steelbands from Trinidad and Tobago. Patrons can expect non-stop sounds of steelpan, with two main stages, as well as some additional musical activations throughout the evening.

“All in all, I think patrons should be ready for a fantastic show,” remarked Worrell.

“There has been so much improvement and growth; I’m really proud,” the musical director said.

The Barbados National Youth Orchestra made its debut on the historic night November 29, 2021 when Barbados transitioned to a Republic.

Admission to the Republic Bank Pandemonium is free and the event starts at 2 p.m. It is touted as a “fun for the whole family” event, with food and drinks on sale, an expanded kids zone as well as a specialty craft area. (PR)

Uncategorized

CIBC Caribbean team cleans Drill Hall Beach

A team of about 50 volunteers from CIBC Caribbean and their families joined hundreds around the world on Saturday 21^st September for the start of the International Coastal Clean-up – the world’s largest annual volunteer effort created to tackle and clean up increasing levels of trash and debris which are impacting our delicate marine environment.

Armed with gloves and lots of energy, the team assembled on the Drill Hall Beach, St. Michael from as early as 6.30a.m., and with the help of the crew from the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) they started the task of collecting trash left by people who use the popular beach.

*Jacquelyn Boyce (right) marks off the items brought in by her team as they collect the debris*

The Barbados International Coastal Clean-up (BICC) is an annual nationwide volunteer beach cleanup event which is coordinated by Barbados’ Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a non-profit organization. This year the cleanup for Barbados will take place every Saturday until the end of October in an attempt to tackle and prevent the damage being done to our local marine environment by trash and debris on our beautiful beaches.

*The CIBC Caribbean team armed with the gloves and bags just before setting off on their clean-up mission*

On Saturday, all materials collected were carefully catalogued and recorded as the CYEN team uses this information to report into the international network to which they belong, about the items found on beaches across the region.

Within a two-hour window, the CIBC Caribbean team had collected 108.39 kgs of garbage which included food wrappers and containers, plastic beverage bottles, clothing, pieces of glass, cups, plates, grocery bags, micro plastics and bottle caps. They also removed pieces of wood and a discarded office chair with wheels. The group also moved the fallen dry palm tree fronds to a large pile for further removal.

*Sean Bostic and Krystle Maynard (right holding card) present the sponsorship card to Shannon Weekes and Jabari Jones of the CYEN*

“The cleanup at Drill Hall Beach highlights the ongoing commitment of Barbadians to safeguarding our coastal environment. As we work together to remove harmful debris, we not only protect our marine ecosystems but also strengthen our communities. Each piece of litter removed is a step toward a healthier, more sustainable future for Barbados, and we are proud to have CIBC contributing to this vital cause year after year. This effort is a reminder that protecting our beaches is not just an annual event but a shared responsibility for all of us,” stated National Coordinator for the CYEN in Barbados Shannon Weekes.

The bank also took the opportunity to present the CYEN with a donation towards their work in keeping the beaches clean by organising the clean-up exercises this year. The super-size credit card was presented by Krystle Maynard from the Treasury Department and Sean Bostic Senior Manager, Business Analysis, Performance & Analytics.

This is the third year that the bank has participated in the beach cleanup. Other beaches they have tackled include Sam Lord’s Castle Beach, St. Philip and Pirate’s Cove Beach in Bridgetown. (PR)

Uncategorized

VENEZUELANS TO VOTE SUNDAY JULY 28

Venezuela’s opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, says he trusts the country’s military to ensure respect for the result of Sunday’s presidential election. Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Mr. Gonzalez declared that the Opposition, is going to win because millions of Venezuelans want change.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, has attracted significant support, even from former supporters of the ruling socialist party.

Uncategorized

Mr Deejay first on stage at Finals

First-timer to the competition Mr Deejay will be start the competition when the Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Finals comes of next Friday, August 2 at the National Botanical Gardens at 8 p.m.

This is the first time in the history of the competition that a visually-impaired contestant has made it to the Finals. The Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Finals Draw was held Wednesday, July 24 at Courtesy’s Wildey showroom. There were no switches.

Reigning Monarch iWeb will perform at No. 15. I-Web was unable to attend the draw. However, his manager Brian Corbin was present and pulled on his behalf. TC pulled for Tae who came later while Merle Niles pulled for Biggie Irie who was present. The other finalists were present as well as tent managers, relatives andwell-wishers.

National Cultural Foundation Chief Executive Officer Carol Robers announced that the Finals will be streamed to Barbadians free of cost as a gift for the 50^th anniversary of Crop Over. Courtesy Garage’s Regional Product Manager Samuel Gaston reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the festival.

*NCF CEO Carol Roberts (left) (EDIT) Courtesy Garage’s Regional Product Manager Samuel Gaston and Acting General Manager Andrez Greene.*

The draw took place in the Courtesy Garage showroom where the 2024 Nissan E Power X-Trail was on show. This year the winner of the Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Competition has the option of driving away a brand new Nissan vehicle valued at $136 000 or take $100 000 in cash. Second place gets $40 000;

third place $20 000 and fourth place takes home $15 000. 5^th place gets $10 000;