On the evening of Saturday, June 6, 2026, St. Gerard’s Hall played host to one of the most memorable steel pan performances in recent Dominica history, as three young ensembles took the stage for the annual “Icons on Steel” charity concert held to raise funds for the Dominica Cancer Society. The audience, made up largely of older residents alongside a smaller group of young attendees, was treated to an evening of varied, high-energy musicianship from the Convent High School Steel Pan Group, and both the junior and senior rosters of Pan in Harmony.
The thoughtfully structured performance was split into two acts and four segments, bookended by the senior Pan in Harmony band. The Convent High School group closed the first half of the show, while the junior Pan in Harmony ensemble opened the second half after a short intermission. The evening kicked off with an opening presentation from students of Convent Prep, and drew a distinguished guest in Her Excellency President Sylvanie Burton, who attended alongside her husband. After formal opening proceedings including the playing of the national anthem, an opening prayer, and remarks from Pan in Harmony manager Jacqueline Andre, master of ceremonies Charlan Commodore guided the evening’s flow without a single hitch.
The senior and junior Pan in Harmony bands rolled out a diverse repertoire that opened with the beloved hymn *How Great Thou Art*, before moving through iconic popular tracks including Bob Marley’s *Redemption Song*, John Legend’s *All of Me*, Elvis Presley’s *Can’t Help Falling in Love*, and hits from Bill Withers, Nasio Fontaine, and Jimmy Cliff. The show was originally scheduled to close with a medley of works from Lord Kitchener, but enthusiastic audience calls for an encore of Mighty Gabby’s *Doctor Cassandra* – which had already had the crowd tapping along in their seats – led the performers to bring the track back for a second round.
While all three performing groups delivered stunning sets, the night was stolen by the all-female Convent High School Steel Pan Group, whose outstanding performance was made even more remarkable by the fact that this was their first public appearance, and the ensemble had only been together for seven months. The students flawlessly performed complex works including Johann Strauss II’s *The Blue Danube Waltz*, Paul Simon’s *The Sound of Silence*, and Hoagy Carmichael’s *Heart and Soul*, with a level of professionalism that more than earned a standing ovation – a honor every ensemble on the night deserved. Though most of the audience remained seated to show their appreciation, the reviewer joined front-row attendee Athie Martin in dancing along to the closing encore, capping off what will go down as one of the finest steel pan events the island nation has seen in recent years.
That said, the extraordinary success of the grassroots event also laid bare long-running challenges facing the performing arts sector in Dominica, long-time cultural sector advocate Severin McKenzie – an architect and chair of the Alwin Bully Foundation Inc. with more than five decades of arts involvement – notes in his review. Notably absent from the audience were elected politicians from all parties, state cultural agencies, and almost all major local media outlets, with only Dominica News Online in attendance. Many other key stakeholders who hold influence over the growth and development of the performing arts were also missing from the crowd.
Despite St. Gerard’s Hall management offering the venue for the event at no cost, the facility’s conditions are far worse than they were in the 1970s, when the People’s Action Theatre staged regular productions there. It is unacceptable, McKenzie argues, that young local performers in 2026 are forced to work in substandard conditions, while the Arawak House of Culture remains shuttered and underdeveloped after suffering damage during Hurricane Maria.
McKenzie says the Dominica Festival Commission (DFC) and Discover Dominica Authority cannot ignore the quality of work put on display at *Icons on Steel*, and is calling for Pan in Harmony to be granted a prime-time performance slot at the 2026 World Creole Music Festival, rather than being sidelined to a low-profile fringe event. The DFC holds a responsibility not just to book global stars for the annual festival, but to nurture and elevate emerging local talent, McKenzie notes. Thirty minutes of the high-quality steel pan performance showcased on June 6 would be a electrifying addition to any WCMF lineup, he argues, giving audiences a memorable local interlude between international headliners.
The standout performance from the Convent High School Steel Pan Group also offers a clear blueprint for education authorities looking to introduce steel pan education into national school curriculums, McKenzie adds. His observation that most local media declined to cover the event points to a broader trend in Dominica: performing arts events rarely receive public attention unless they center an expensive international artist that gets extensive promotional backing. While non-Bouyon genres including steel pan, poetry, and theater have long been sidelined with little public or institutional support, the extraordinary talent on display at *Icons on Steel* offers a spark of hope for the future of local cultural expression. For that reason, McKenzie says, Jacqueline Andre and the entire Pan in Harmony team deserve widespread public recognition and ongoing support for their outstanding work nurturing the next generation of Dominican musicians.