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DCN will stay in Huizen until 2020
Drum Corps Netherlands has committed to continue the show in Huizen until 2020. The organisation signed a contract for four additional years at the Huizen show.
Football association SV Huizen and Drum Corps Netherlands have been successfully working together for many years, and 'Huizen' has become a familiar name. The history of the contest goes back to the 1980s, when predecessor Drum Corps Holland already organised drum corps contests.
Last year, the show moved to Leeuwardem, but from 2016 to 2020 sports park De Wolfskamer will once again be the scene of the second DCN show of the season, which is always held on the fourth Saturday of June. Project manager Kees Bourquin and logistics manager Ronald Seitz from Drum Corps Netherlands, and president Sjaak Veerman of SV Huizen said at the signing that they were looking forward to some great events in the next four years.
Unity takes Italian title at IMSB Championships
Unity from Mosson/Besana have won the title in the Premier Class at the Italian championships in Lecco last Saturday. The newly crowned champion scored 89.5 points.
Unity is a project from Besana Secutores Drum & Bugle Corps and Mosson Drum & Bugle Corps. The DCE finalist remained ahead of Brianza Parade Band, who came second. Brianza scored 86.4 points with their show 'The Gift'. The scores at the IMSB (Italia Marching Show Bands) are not comparable with those of the European Music Games. The judging was done according to the WAMSB system.
General Vincent Marching Band scored 83.8 points and came third, followed by Bedizzole Marching Band (80.8) and Academy Band Parade (76.1). Jubal Drum & Bugle Corps made a guest appearance. The event was well attended, with over 2,000 fans in the stand.
German Open starts earlier due to large number of participants
The German Open will be starting earlier than usual this year. The earlier time is necessary due to the large number of participants.
The start of the German Open in the Weserbergland Stadium in Hameln on Saturday 3rd September would originally have started at 4:30 pm, but will start an hour eralier now. No less than thirteen participants will appear at the starting line this year.
Three corps will be participating in the Cadet Class, four in the Premier Class and six corps will be competing in the Concert Class. The German Open are part of the European Music Games. Corps can still register for the competiion.
Ticket sales for the event has started.
Report: DCUK Woking contest
On Sunday 3rd July DCUK returned to the Kingfield Stadium in Woking, Surrey for the second contest of the 2016 UK season (the fifth in the European Music Games "tour"). The number of competing units was down on last years event (which hosted the Blue Devils International Corps - was that a year ago already!) but the level of performance by those that did attend was no less intense.
A report by Drum Corps United Kingdom
The day started with the Junior Class and both units where ones affiliated to the host Corps of today's event.. Cadence Cadets (2nd - Junior Class) - whilst small in number (and size of performer) they are a confidence group and performed a selection of tunes from the musical Annie. Although a predominately static performance they got the audience behind them and were a great start to day.
Cadence Juniors (1st - Junior Class) came next and were an obvious step up from their younger "brothers and sisters" in the Cadet Corps. They performed a short but full show based around the Wizzard of Oz with the Guard in Dorothy style uniforms complimenting the theme very well.
We moved onto the Open Class and the Cadence main Corps (3rd - Open Class). They seem to have made great strides over the winter months and gave a strong confident performance which was lapped up by the home crowd of supporters. Performing their show entitle "Arcana" which included tarot card visuals and featured a very mature choice of music for this still quite young group.
The Pacemakers (4th - Open Class) took the field next and their "Back To School" production was full of fun moments with members dressed as school pupils, the Drum Major as the Teacher and even featured a Lollypop Man. Special mention to the vocalist during Hallelujah who did an excellent job and also to the front ensemble that provided a well balanced addition to the performance.
Next up were Kidsgrove Scouts (2nd - Open Class). What a power house of sound this Corps provided which got the audience on their feet within 30 seconds and the stand at Woking FC took a real battering. Fielding over 100 members, their Symmetricity show features mirrored props around the field and is a real grower. They are definitely keeping the pressure on as they crept a little closer in points to todays winners.
The Company (1st - Open Class). Having won the contest two weeks earlier in Barnsley the Corps continued on their winning way today. As expected there was a strong performance by all sections of the Corps and they really drew the audience in with their "Inspire Me" show which has a more traditional feel to the last few years productions and we all know this Corps will fight to keep itself at the top as the season progresses.
The European rankings are now starting take shape with three Corps now over the 70 mark. Jubal from Holland are currently scoring highest followed by The Company and then Kidsgrove Scouts - but still a long way to go.
Two weekends time and we have 10 Corps attending the next DCUK contest in Leicester (Sunday 17th July) including Spirit of 52 from Germany and so we all look forward to another great day of entertainment then.
Scores and recaps: www.dcuk.org.uk
The Company in the lead in the UK, Jubal remains in the lead in Europe
The Company has topped the second DCUK show of the season in Woking on Sunday. Jubal maintains its lead in the European Premier Class ranking.
The difference between the scores of The Company (72.95) and Kidsgrove Scouts (71.05) has become slightly smaller since two weeks ago in Barnsley. The Company did especially well in the Visual and Percussion captions on Sunday. The Kidsgrove Scouts were very strong in the Music captions as always.
Cadence finished in third place with 55.35 points, and the Pacemakers came fourth (48.90). Cadence was well represented at their hometown show. The Cadence Juniors (33.80) won the Junior Class, with the Cadence Cadets ending in second place (18.30). Scores and recaps are available at www.dcuk.org.uk.
After the Netherlands, the UK and Germany, the competition will be starting in the fourth country of the European Music Games in just under two weeks. On Saturday 16th July, the first show of the Irish Marching Bands Association will take place. There will be five corps at the starting line. The next day, before the summer break, the next DCUK show will be held in Leicester.
Starriders win DCE show at Rasteder Musiktage
The Starriders have won the DCE contest during the Rasteder Musiktage on Saturday. The corps from Bad Münder stayed ahead of Spirit of 52 by 1.2 points with their show 'About Time'.
Six corps took part in the DCE show that is embedded in the larger event of the Rasteder Musiktage. The two German top corps were very evenly matched. The Starriders appeared to score best on the Visual captions, while Spirit of 52 was particularly strong on Music. The corps were awarded 67.85 and 66.65 points respectively.
The Wölper Löwen came in third with their show 'Guardian Angel' (61.00), just ahead of Millennium (60.55) that had travelled from the Italian town of Verdello for the German contest. The Blue Diamonds came in fifth place (53.15) and Fanfarenzug Straussberg finished sixth with 48.55 points.
Participate in DCI’s SoundSport without leaving home
For the first time anywhere, 'The 2016 SoundSport Virtual Preview' and 'The 2016 SoundSport Virtual World Championships' make it possible for teams around the world to participate in SoundSport performances through online video submissions.
Participating teams will receive invaluable input and feedback from nationally-recognized performing arts education professionals along with insightful commentary designed to help maximize performance strengths. SoundSport Virtual events help groups to refine their performances, creating a high-achieving, highly-entertaining experience for participants and fans alike! Performing groups will be adjudicated on Music Performance, Visual Performance and Overall Impression while participating in one of six competitive classes. Each ensemble will receive an official Gold, Silver or Bronze rating based on their video performance or they can participate in Festival Class to receive feedback while performing in exhibition.
The SoundSport Virtual Preview will provide U.S. SoundSport teams with the opportunity for critique on their summer performance before heading to live competitions in the coming weeks. International teams can also take advantage of the opportunity to gain feedback on their shows prior to entry in The 2016 SoundSport Virtual World Championships.
The 2016 SoundSport Virtual World Championships, held in conjunction with the DCI World Championships in August, offers teams worldwide the ability to participate in DCI Finals Week, even if they are unable to travel to Indianapolis this summer. All participants will be announced at the SoundSport International Music and Food Festival on August 13th and worldwide online at DCI.org and SoundSport.com. Achievements will also be recognized on the JumboTron in Lucas Oil Stadium on the evening of the DCI World Championship Finals and across DCI and SoundSport’s numerous social media pages. In all, your group will receive exposure in front of more than 400,000 fans worldwide.
More information: www.soundsport.com
Brianza wins first IMSB contest of 2016 season
The first contest of the 2016 IMSB season took place on Saturday 18th of June in Caronno Pertusella (Italy). In front of almost 800 people, four groups performed their shows in a beautiful and festive atmosphere. The contest was also the occasion to celebrate the 120th birthday of the Academy Parade Band that hosted the event.
Fortunately the weather was clement: instead of a rainy evening, as expected, there was a starry sky with a perfect temperature. Three Italian formations and one from the Czech Republic, split between Open and Premier Class (as expected by the new IMSB/WAMSB judging system), entertained the crowd with their marvelous performances.
In the Open Class, the Academy Parade Band (from Caronno Pertusella) took first place with a score of 81.40 points, followed by the MDO Marching Band (from Cheb, CZ), scoring 79.00 points. Academy put on an energetic show entitled 'Moulin Rouge', featuring a love story set in the famous Parisian theater. MDO played some amazing jazz and popular Czech music for the crowd, as part of a very funny show.
In the Premier Class, Brianza Parade Band (from Veduggio con Colzano) took first place, with 85.20 points (their show was entitled The Gift). General Vincent came second with a score of 81.90; their show 'Crescendo' told to the viewers about both the musical and human growth process, in a very interesting mix.
This year the IMSB Association started a process of reform of the entire judging system. The intention is to give the groups the possibility to be judged in different classes, in order to obtain more and better feedback from the judges. The actual system consists of 4 different classes (Premier, Open, Junior and Concert), inspired by the most organised championships around the world. The National Champion will be the winner of the Premier Class.
This contest was judged by Bob Thomas (Visual), Karsten Mellon (Music Winds), Marco Harder (Music Field Percussion) and James Lauvier (General Effect). The final event of the season will once again be held in Lecco, on the field of the Rigamonti-Ceppi Stadium, on Saturday the 9th of July.
Bluecoats steal the show with ‘Down Side Up’
Six World Class corps escaped the Indianapolis summer heat under the roof of Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night, as the DCI Tour Premiere presented by French Lick Resort kicked off the 2016 Drum Corps International Tour.
The Bluecoats stole the show in more ways than one revealing their production title 'Down Side Up', on way to taking first place with a score of 69.700. The corps no longer donned the uniforms traditional to their name, instead the color guard and horn line mirrored one another in tight-fitting solid yellow and white, sequentially, with a single blue line looping across their torsos.
The Bluecoats used the Tour Premiere as the stage for their show reveal, not leaking any information beyond a list of repertoire before the corps took the field. Large ramps were placed on the field, allowing performers to play to the advantages of gravity while incorporating dance and free movement with traditional marching.
Just a half point behind the Bluecoats, Carolina Crown took second place with a score of 69.200 and managed to grab first place in both Visual and Music captions. The corps features a large stagecoach as a central element to feature soloists in its 2016 production called 'Relentless', which is billed as a 'classic Spaghetti Western' with inspirations from Shakespeare’s 'Hamlet' and Homer’s 'Illiad'.
After taking first place during the 2015 season opener in Indy, the Cadets finished in third on Thursday night with a score of 66.950. Making their competitive debut with “Awakening,” the corps returned to the field this summer with the all-black uniforms it presented halfway through the 2015 season. With a score of 65.40, the Cavaliers matched their 2015 Tour Premiere fourth-place finish but managed to add 2.3 points to its opening score this year over last.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016, Phantom Regiment pays tribute to its own vision of excellence with its show 'Voice of Promise' (63.45). The Crusaders finished the night in sixth place with a score of 60.450.
IMBA competition venue moved to Mullingar
The IMBA competition scheduled for Clonmel on the 21st August has been moved to the Downs GAA Club Mullingar. This decision follows the Clonmel BlueHawks' decision to withdraw from all competition in 2016.
Clonmel BlueHawks secretary Maurice O’Sullivan stated "Because of the large admission of junior members to the band this year, our resources are limited. The committee feel that the best long term interest of the organisation will be served training the new members and planning towards the future." The band have committed to preforming their show 'West Side Story' in the future.
Over the past two weeks the IMBA have been working towards securing a suitable alternative. Mullingar Town Band's marching unit, the Celtic Crusaders, have saved the date and will now host the competition in an excellent venue. Mullingar Town Band Director Kim Magee: "We have not held an IMBA competition in five years due to travel and other banding commitments. We are hosting at The Downs GAA club grounds. The club have completed construction of a fantastic viewing stand, so we are really looking forward to bringing IMBA back to Mullingar in August."
The Clonmel show has always been a very successful show on the IMBA calendar and the association is sorry to see this cancelled. The IMBA will also miss not having Clonmel BlueHawks present at this year's shows. "We wish them the best of luck in their rebuilding program and look forward to their return in 2017."
The Irish Season kicks off on 16th July in Arklow, Co.Wicklow with other shows on 21st August (Mullingar) and 10th September (Dublin).
The Company tops first DCUK contest of 2016
The Company has started the 2016 Drum Corps United Kingdom season with a win. On Sunday, the corps received a score of 69.30 at the first DCUK show of the year in Barnsley.
The 2016 Drum Corps United Kingdom season kicked off with a 8 corps (1 Junior Class and 7 Open Class) event held at the Barnsley FC Academy ground with a newly laid astro-turf pitch, which considering the awful weather over the previous few days, ensured the corps had the perfect performing surface for this first contest of the summer.
The standard this year at the start of the season does seem to be slightly higher than previous years which bodes well for an exciting and entertaining few months. Also the stand was full of supporters for most of the day, including the British Youth Band Association contest that took at the same venue in the morning, and hopefully this will continue at the other shows this year.
The Company took a lead of more than two points on the Kidsgrove Scouts, who scored 67.05 points. Kidsgrove ranked first on Music Effect and Field Music. The other captions were won by The Company.
The Beeches came third (54.60). East Coast Elite finished fourth (54.45), followed by Revolution (51.55), Phantom Knights (44.20) and The Comets (32.25). The Concord Allstars were the sole participant in the Junior Class and scored 45.25. With these results, the first rankings of the European Music Games are in place via the EMG Rankings page.
Scores and recaps can be found at www.dcuk.org.uk.
Unity announces 2016 show: ‘Again’
Unity, better known by its former name Mosson Secutores, has announced its show theme for this year. The programme is called 'Again', for several reasons.
The show is based on minimalist pieces of music by Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and Michael Nyman. This music is characterised by the repetitive nature and overlapping rhythm and melody that become increasingly complex as the show progresses.
However, the title also represents the second year of the collective project Unity, consisting of the Mosson and Besana Secutores corps. Last year was the first time they performed together at the DCE European Championships, and they will be back again this year.
The music is written by Simeone Riva (brass) and Rob Ferguson (percussion), the colour guard design comes from Elana Siegel, and Thomas Sparling took on the choreography. The Italians are confident: “We are back on the field, ready to transmit new energy and passion to the crowd, we are ready to drag the audience and judges into a whole new 'Unity Experience'."
Director of Japanese Tama Drums opens Juliana’s training field
The director of the Japanese instrument brand Tama Drums, Ken Hoshino, will be opening the new training field for Juliana from Middelburg next week. Juliana is moving to the new location because the old location has to make way for houses.
For months, volunteers from Juliana have worked on the new location, which lies outside Middelburg's municipal borders. Because of the risk of noise pollution, a rehearsal field in the corps' own city was not possible, and an accommodation was made available in Vlissingen-Oost thanks to the cooperation of port authority Zeeland Seaports.
The official opening is on Tuesday 21st June by Hoshino from Tama Drums, sponsor of Juliana. Thereafter, the 'musical sports pitch' as Juliana is referring to the new field, will immediately be initiated. It is a private event, accessible to anyone who has 'adopted' a part of the field by making a monetary contribution.
Spirit of 52 receives support from Vic Firth
Spirit of 52 has found a partner in Vic Firth. Starting this season, the complete percussion of the corps will be playing with drumsticks from the manufacturer.
“Together with Pearl Field Percussion and Adams Front Ensemble, we have the perfect combination to take our drumline to the next level”, says percussion heads Michael Kreis and Thorsten Haake. “The season is now in full swing and everything we are fully prepared to clean the beats and perfect the drill.”
Spirit of 52 will take the field in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK this season, including the DCE European Championships on Saturday 24th September.
Mosson Secutores as ‘Unity’ at DCE Championships
The two Italian groups of the Mosson Secutores project will appear under the new name 'Unity' at the DCE European Championships this year. The Drum Corps Europe board has approved the name change in the list of participants.
According to the staff team of the Unity show project, the new name is the triggering factor motivating every member of the group. "It is the best way for them to honor the 2015 show because it was the one telling the audience the beginning of their story. And actually, they want to keep on writing it."
The new name stands for the ongoing journey Mosson Secutores started together: their mission hasn’t changed. "Striving to reach the same goal is at the basis of the project. People joining the group share the same objective and this doesn’t only allow the creation of wider artistic opportunities but also gives performers the chance to grow. They now have the opportunity to be part of a group creating a show, which would have been impossible if the groups hadn’t joined forces."
"At the same time though, performers keep a strong bond with their groups of origin to whom they transmit their enthusiasm, new experiences and insight in this amazing drum corps world." (Text: Agnese Borgo)
DCE Championships: selling the last tickets for Block B
Just a handful of tickets left and then Block B will be sold out for the DCE Championships. All business seats (Blocks A and B) will be completely sold out.
In addition to Block A and the Super Seats, another Block is as good as sold out. At the time of writing, there are a grand total of five tickets left for Block B. Like Block A, Block B also includes luxury business seats.
The DCE European Championships, on Saturday the 24th of September, promise to be a true spectacle once again. Corps from the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy will enter the 'holy turf' of the Parkstad Limburg Stadium on the European drum corps day of the year.
Don’t have tickets yet? Secure your seats at www.drumcorpseurope.org/tickets.
DCE uses Facebook to communicate with corps
Drum Corps Europe has chosen Facebook as the new communication tool with corps. Until now, they used a platform called Yammer, but that is becoming increasingly unsuitable, leading to a need for change.
DCE has been using Yammer for communications since 2012, but is now switching to the biggest social media platform, Facebook. "Yammer has plenty of great features, but it is not developing in the direction that we would like it to,", says DCE board member Marco Janssen. "Facebook has a number of advantages over Yammer."
One of the advantages is that many corps board and staff members already have a Facebook account and therefore don't need an extra app to follow the information from DCE. Information about the DCE Championships now shows up on people's Facebook timelines. There is a closed group that board and staff members can join.
The DCE network on Yammer will stay active as an archive for the time being, but will be taken offline in due time.
New German performance ensemble in the competition
Both the Rasteder Musiktage and the German Open in Hameln can count on a new participant on the field this year: Phoenix Performance Ensemble will participate in both events.
Phoenix Performance Ensemble was founded in February 2015. The ensemble currently does concert performances, but they intend to add a choreography to the programme in future. Phoenix will perform both at the Rasteder Musiktage (1st to 3rd July) and at the German Open in Hameln (3rd September).
The group is also thinking ahead, as it is working on the Phoenix Cadets for children aged 9 to 14 years alongside the main ensemble.
Double victory for ‘Dordrecht’ at the first DCN contest
Double success for Jubal at the first DCN show in Roosendaal. Both Jubal and Jong Jubal managed to top the Premier Class and the Junior Class respectively on Saturday.
The start of the European Music Games 2016 is a fact. Six corps took to the field in Roosendaal to present their show for the first time. With 'The Next 10 Minutes', Jubal took the lead and scored 67.10 points. All captions were won by the corps from Dordrecht, with the exception of the Percussion caption, which went to the performance of 'Poisoned' by Juliana (63.25).
'Dordrecht' also led in the Junior Class. Jong Jubal kept the competition at bay with a score of 67.05 points. The second place was for Jong Beatrix (62.45). The champions of last year, Johan Friso, had to make do with third position in Roosendaal (59.70). The Jong-Holland Juniors came fourth with 54.70 points.
The audience was able to find Roosendaal without any problems, judging by the stands and the many visitors who had standing tickets next to the grandstand. The next Drum Corps Netherlands contest will be on Saturday 25th June in Huizen.
The start of European Music Games live on Facebook
The start of the European Music Games, this Saturday in Roosendaal, will be broadcast live on Facebook. Anyone who likes the official Facebook page of Drum Corps Europe can watch parts of the event while they happen.
It is the first time that fragments of the European Music Games will be shown live via Facebook. Last year DCN experimented with broadcasting via Periscope and Twitter. This time, Facebook is used as the platform for the broadcasts.
Both during the preparations on the day and at the contest in the evening, live clips will appear on the Facebook timeline. It is not yet in the planning to broadcast all and/or full performances live. Drum corps fans who want to watch the entire show should come to Roosendaal on Saturday. The DCN show starts at 7pm.