Alexander Evans to Compete in PanoGrama 2022
Well-known musical artist Alexander Evans is recognized for his talent in playing multiple instrument. In the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, PanoGrama was formed – it is a platform for pannists to compete and showcase their talents. Having enjoyed the musical display for the past two years, Evans, who studied pan at U.W.I. Trinidad, is now one of several steel pan musicians that will be participating in this year’s event. The competition will be aired in nineteen countries across the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada. And as we found out from Evans today, there is also opportunity for growth.
Alexander Evans, Musician
Alexander Evans
“There was a lot of deliberation whether or not to even submit a video, to even try, because the world of steel pan and the abilities and just what is possible with this instrument is so vast and when you get on that international stage, you realize that here I might be Alex Evans, but internationally, I dah just wah drop ina di sea, honestly. And even that kinda speaks to my thought process when it comes to being a part of the competition because I don’t – and I could already foresee April’s reaction to me saying this – I don’t consider myself the best pannist. I think there are a lot of people out there far more skilled than I am. I wasn’t even one of the best pannists in my class in school. But one of the things that has really set me apart from my peers is my abilities as a composer and as an arranger. And it is not even just compared to other people, but even compared to myself. Like one of the most frustrating tasks for me is trying to play music that I wrote, because I am capable of writing music that is on a totally different level than what I am capable of playing. So this is also an opportunity for me to push myself and stretch myself as a player a little bit, but also to showcase some of my capabilities and stuff as an arranger as well.”
Prelims will be held from May sixth to the eighth, while the semifinals will be on May twenty-ninth.
