Brooklyn’s Panorama 2026 was a night of pure steelband brilliance. As we love to say in Trinidad, "It was sweet pan in yuh pwefen." Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra (PESO) delivered a commanding performance with André White’s arrangement of Respectfully Yours, electrifying the crowd when the tune’s artists, Full Blown, made a surprise cameo on stage. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting briefly with the arranger, who was very generous with his time. Also seen on the drag was Duvonne Stewart taking in the action. 

This achievement is the Three‑Peat feat! Champions in 2024, 2025, and now 2026. Pan Evolution has stamped their legacy on Brooklyn’s Panorama stage. Give them their flowers—and big respect to André White for steering the ship with excellence. Job well done!

Philadelphia Pan Stars Steel Orchestra claimed second place for the second consecutive year with Roger Greenidge’s arrangement of Cyah Behave—the most popular tune of the competition. Their heartfelt tribute to Roger’s late brother, Robert Greenidge, added emotional depth to an already powerful showing. I loved how they incorporated Blakie's "Steelband Clash" in their arrangement. PhillyPan Stars is one of the bands I took time out to listen to during their drag practice session, and I was impressed with their arrangement. They played to win and will be considered winners by their fans. 

Amazingly, five of the nine bands chose "Cyah Behave" as their tune of choice, making it the anthem of the night. The other bands played Full Blown's "Respectfully Yours," Sweet Soca Man by Baron, Wedding Band (Ms. Walker) by Coutain and Tano, and finally Super Blue's "Rebecca." 

The following doesn’t align neatly with the official judging or the People’s Choice results. This suggests that band loyalty may heavily influence voting in this category, with fan turnout playing a major role. In the People’s Choice campaign, the margin was fan favorite razor-thin—Pan in Motion edged out PanAlley by just 0.1%, securing the audience’s vote for favorite performance.

Brooklyn’s Panorama proved once again that steelpan isn’t just music—it's movement, memory, and mastery. It felt really good meeting up with old friends, Izah Trini Lenny (Lenny, you are a trip, yes, pardna), Pan Man Andy, and Sweetpan, Leonard Jack, who played with Philly Pan Stars. Until next year, guys!

Steelpan. Culture. Carnival. Sokah2Soca.

The Official Results: Name of Band/Name of Song/Name of Arranger/Points Scored

1. Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra—Respectfully Yours—Andre White—279 points

2. Philadelphia (Philly) Pan Stars—Cyah Behave—Roger Greenidge—274 points

3. D'Radoes Steel Orchestra—Cyah Behave—Terrance "BJ" Marcelle—273 points

4. Metro Steel Orchestra—Sweet Soca Man—Vanessa Headley-Brewster—272 points

5. Despers USA Steel Orchestra—Cyah Behave—Odie Franklin—271 points (tie)

5. PanAlley All Stars— Cyah Behave—Marc Brooks—271 points (tie)

7. Steel Sensation—Wedding Band—Tristan Japsi—261 points

8. Pan in Motion—Cyah Behave—Dr. Kendall K. Williams—259 points

9. Harmony Music—Rebecca—Winston Theobald—248 points

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Production Notes/Music Credits:

Event: NYC Panorama Competition 2026

Hosted by: WIADCA

Where: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City

Genre: Soca 🎶

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