Kenrick  Philmore

Ken "Professor" Philmore was born 1959, Trinidad.

He was called the “Professor” or “Pro” from a young child because of the old fashioned glasses he wore.

He began to play pan when he was four, following in the footsteps of his cousins Ferdi and Barry Brathwaite.

In 1974 at the age of fifteen, he joined the Hatters Steel Orchestra in San Fernando and began experimenting with arrangements the following year.

Later, Ken moved to Kalomo Kings in 1977 and then to Gay Hoytonians before he finally settled with Fernandes Vat 19 Fonclaire Steel Orchestra (Fonclaire) in 1981. The next year he became musical director of Fonclaire.

In 1985 he was requested to play for Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1989 he was honoured by Pan Trinbago as a most outstanding musical arranger.

Between 1989 and 1991 his arrangements gained Fonclaire second place at Panorama.              

Between 1990 and 1992 he offered his own compositions to Panorama, Pan by Storm (1990), Pan Ecstasy (1991) and Pan in the Party (1992).

Ken Philmore spent much of his time in America playing at various jazz festivals as well as performing with many leading musicians.

In 2000 he joined the BWIA Invaders and continued to perform in America. 

He won Panorama in 2007 and 2008 for the medium sized bands. In 2008 he won with his own composition, Hooked.

In 2013, the final year of Panorama in its present format, he took NCLB Fonclaire to eighth place.

30 September 2018, the 'Professor' sadly passed away.