Drum Corps International will return to select movie theaters nationwide Thursday, July 15, with a program that includes five iconic DCI World Championship performances.
Whether on the way to the movie theater or while you’re sitting with a bag of popcorn waiting for the show to begin, brush up on these five modern-day classics below which are primed and ready for their return to the big screen!
“The DCI Celebration Countdown” will take place on Thursday, July 15, live at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and tape-delayed 7 p.m. MT/8 p.m. PT. In addition to the following performances below, the program will also include exclusive pre-season reports from the 2021 Blue Knights, Boston Crusaders, Cavaliers and Bluecoats.
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2015 Carolina Crown | “Inferno”
Accolades
• 2nd place, 97.075
• Donald Angelica Best General Effect Award
Fast fact
Representing Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of Hell, on the costumes of the brass players and percussionists were nine red rings starting in the lower leg and ascending to the top of their hats, with the lowest red ring on their pants fading into the ground and the feather atop the hats reaching up to Heaven.
Program notes
Inferno is the first part of Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century work, the Divine Comedy. In it, Dante is guided by the Roman poet Virgil on a journey through Hell, which is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with “Inferno” describing man’s recognition—and rejection—of sin. Carolina Crown uses sound and imagery to transform the field into a dramatic depiction of Hell as the audience follows Dante and Virgil’s cathartic journey through the various rings of sins and sinners. Entering at the Gates of Hell, braving the harsh environments, facing Satan in the ninth ring, and ultimately escaping back to the surface of the earth, the performers deliver a thoughtful and emotional program rich with sinful imagery.
Repertoire
Gates of Hell by Thom Hannum, Tony Nunez, and Steve Ridley
Dies Irae by Giuseppe Verdi
Symphony for Organ and Orchestra by Aaron Copland
Adagio in G Minor by Remo Giazotto
Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Show design commentary
2016 The Cavaliers | “Propaganda”
Accolades
5th place, 94.025
Fast fact
Numerous signs of the type used for the promotion of political ideals or corporate advertising were seen floating around the field during this show, including one that earlier in the season read, “Buy This Ad.” By the end of the season, the ad was indeed bought … by the Blue Stars to promote their corps’ recruitment efforts for the 2017 season.
Program notes
prop•a•gan•da (noun)—Expression of opinion or action by individuals or groups deliberately designed to influence opinions or actions of other individuals or groups with reference to predetermined ends. We are constantly bombarded by information meant to sway public opinion. While propaganda has existed in every culture throughout history, advances in communications technology have dramatically increased our collective exposure. This four part production, which incorporates Purcell’s music for the funeral of England’s Queen Mary and Marianelli’s elegy for the fallen in an early World War II battle, among other pieces, will explore various styles, applications, and elements of propaganda. The point here is not to push any political agenda, but simply to entertain drum corps fans across the Cavalier Nation.
Repertoire
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary by Henry Purcell
Symphony for Band “West Point” by Morton Gould
Elegy for Dunkirk by Dario Marianelli
Lollapalooza by John Adams
Show design commentary
2017 Blue Devils | “Metamorph”
Accolades
• 1st Place, 98.538
• Donald Angelica Best General Effect Award
• John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award
Fast fact
Celebrating 60 years in 2017, "Metamorph" was bookended in throwbacks to the Blue Devils' past. A bell lyre from the ensemble's origins was seen at the top of the program, while color guard members at the end of the production featured the corps' iconic "wings," a creation of DCI Hall of Fame color guard designer Shirley Dorritie that has been featured numerous times over several decades.
Program notes
In ancient epics and modern fantasy alike, metamorphosis (or shape shifting) is a common trope. Both the shaman and the showman have pondered its mystery and magic, which extends beyond its real-world nature as a biological process to become a broader metaphor for growth, evolution, and inspiration. To celebrate their diamond anniversary, the Blue Devils honor 60 years of individual and group transformations with a multi-layered musical and visual tribute to the past, present, and future. Metamorph resonates with music by composers such as Peter Graham and Simon Dobson and, at the program’s heart, the prophetic “Everything Must Change” by Bernard Ighner. Emerging from a cocoon of history, the corps moves in an upward trajectory, reflecting the legacy of past performers and the ascension of this California community of rhythmic dreamers to the title of DCI’s most honored ensemble.
Repertoire
Birth of Eternity, Dreamscape, Facing Future by David Glyde
The Triumph of Time by Peter Graham
Flight of the Bumble Bee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Everything Must Change by Bernard Ighner
Crystal by Simon Dobson
Show design commentary
2018 Santa Clara Vanguard | “Babylon”
Accolades
• 1st Place, 98.625
• Jim Ott Best Brass Performance Award
• Fred Sanford Percussion Performance Award
• Donald Angelica Best General Effect Award
• John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award
Fast fact
One of the most talked about moments of the 2019 Santa Clara Vanguard became “The Snap,” an impeccable unison “horns up” that preceded a powerful statement by the brass section. Surprised by its popularity, Vanguard creative director Michael Gaines joked on Facebook:
I spent months stressing, sweating, crying, seeking therapy while doing my part to design this show, and all anyone talks about is #thesnap heard ‘round the world. KK Katie Sullivan put it in on a whim one day, [visual caption manager] Matt Hartwell asked me if it was ok, I barely looked at it, and said ‘fine.’
Program notes
“In a time when words fail, music and movement become the foundation upon which to communicate, and the building blocks to once again unite humanity.” That inspiring statement is at the at the heart of Babylon, a genre- and boundary-breaking program that explores human connection and the transcendent power to move beyond language. Performers react in unique ways to overcome the omnipresent barriers of speech, and to realize that universal truths can only be found in universal language.
Repertoire
My Body is a Cage by Arcade Fire, adapted by Peter Gabriel
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Peter Graham
Metropolis 1927 by Peter Graham
Apology (from Automata Soundtrack) by Zacarias M. di la Riva
Club Soundby Gent & Jawns
Show design commentary
2019 Bluecoats | “The Bluecoats”
Accolades
• 2nd place, 98.238
• Donald Angelica Best General Effect Award
Fast fact
The underlying orchestral track during the opening cacophony of various Beatles melodies was recorded by the Avon (Indiana) High School Orchestra, directed by Bluecoats’ program coordinator, Dean Westman. Advances in modern technology allowed the corps to create the essence of what The Beatles did in a studio setting.
Program notes
From the cacophony of the 1960s rose the one band to rule them all: The Beatles. The Fab Four shaped both music history and the rapidly changing cultural landscape through revolutionary social awareness and musical experimentation. As they rose from working-class Liverpool to conquer England and America and eventually reached fame across the universe, the Beatles contributed more than soul-stirring medleys and unforgettable lyrics—They influenced fashion, social mores, and political attitudes. That spirit informs the “The Bluecoats.” From Please, Please Me to Abbey Road, the corps uses 21st century technology to explore the group’s own evolution. Above all the production is a concert celebrating the forward-thinking spirit of love, innovation, and inclusion that the band embodied. It is also a celebration of the drum corps group’s own heritage—from blue, to white, to blue again—and, with a little help from our friends, from working-class Canton to the world stage.
Repertoire
Musical selections by The Beatles