When the world Steelband Music Festival comes to town Sunday the stereotype of the solo steel drummer playing background music for a tropical vacation can take a holiday of its own. Seven powerful 50-member ensembles will be performing classical tunes and other selections at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The competitive festival will be presented by the Trinidadian steel pan association Pantrinbago and sponsored by the Daily News. Brooklyn's award-winning CASYM Steel Orchestra is the hometown favorite in the competition, which has attracted steel orchestras from the Caribbean and Canada. The twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago - where the instrument was first created and crafted -will be represented by the TCL Group Skiffle Bunch, the Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille, Sagicor Exodus and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Courts New Dimension from Grenada and Canada's Panmasters will round out the field. Grenada first participated in the festival in 2000 and was represented by N.C.B Angel Harps and by Courts New Dimension 2002, where they placed 3rd in the world. The Steelband Festival is an international competition held every two years and is organized by Pan Trinbago, which is the Steelband Association of Trinidad and Tobago. All participants will be performing two pieces, a test piece called Pan in a Minor- by Kitchener and a tune of choice-classic. The steel drum, also known as steel pan to aficionados, is the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Like the string instruments in a conventional orchestra, steel pans come in varying sizes and tones. The popularity of the chromatically pitched percussion instrument has spread throughout the Caribbean, across the U.S. and around the world with enthusiasts, orchestras and "tuners" - who craft and design the instruments - cropping up in far-flung locations such as Finland and Hawaii. In this year's musical battle, contestants must perform a required tune - "Pan in A Minor" - composed by calypsonian Aldwyn (Lord Kitchener) Roberts - and a selection of their choice. On Saturday, the eve of the musical melée, the competing ensembles will be fine-tuning their acts in rehearsals at various Brooklyn locations. In addition to the competition, there will be opportunities to witness the versatility of the instrument through guest performances by Dem Boys band of Mason Hall, Tobago and 11-year-old pan prodigy Keisha Codrington. Sunday's festival starts at 4 p.m. For information and list of ticket outlets in Brooklyn and Queens, call (718) 941-0444. Reprinted from nydailynews.com