It’s The Cavaliers’ 75th anniversary, and the Green Machine is preparing to tell old stories in new ways.
The Cavaliers recently revealed their 2023 production, “Where You’ll Find Me,” where the goal for the show is simple: to use moments throughout the corps’ history to make modern day magic. As we inch closer to the start of the 2023 DCI Tour, here’s what we know about the corps’ milestone 75th anniversary show.
Presenting our 2023 Production
Posted by The Cavaliers on Monday, May 1, 2023
1. Something borrowed
In the initial reveal announcement on May 1, The Cavaliers said that viewers of the show will be “transported on a musical and visual journey, representing a variety of aesthetic textures, while entertaining through emotional connection those moments most personal to the listener.”
Recreating 75 years’ worth of musical moments is no small task. Much of the music staff’s preparation for the season has been dedicated to finding that fine line between retelling and reimagining.
“I think a lot of folks will hear things and say, ‘Hey, that reminds me of this!’” Front ensemble arranger Clif Walker said. “There’s also things that we’ve crafted that are brand new, but hopefully have that connection to what people expect.”
Drum corps fans will travel to familiar places from past shows that are woven into the framework of this year’s soundscape. The sound design of this year’s production will also pave the way for the future sound of The Cavaliers.
“Are there easter eggs? Absolutely. Are there new ways of interpreting things? Yes,” music coordinator Michael McIntosh said. “Is there a look back 75 years and also a taste of maybe what to expect musically in the next 75 years? I think that was a big component of our thought process on design.”
McIntosh also subtly alluded to references of one of the corps’ iconic songs, the lyrics of which are referenced in the title of its 2023 production.
“You may or may not hear a deconstructed ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” he added.
2. Connecting fans across generations
Past and present generations of drum corps fans have different emotional connections with the corps. As the activity evolves, so must the ways corps engage with fans on an emotional level.
The Cavaliers’ music designers hope to get as many young people as possible interested and engaged in what the corps is doing on the field this summer.
“I feel like there’s a bit of division in the activity where you have to get the new generation excited and inspired the same way I was watching the Cavaliers in 2003,” audio coordinator and sound designer Matthew Black said. “But, you also have to get the previous generations jumping up and down, and I think we’ve captivated that.”
3. The balancing act of amplification
With this year’s production being a reimagining of stories past and present, The Cavaliers’ music design staff also wants to create a soundscape that reflects what drum corps sounded like throughout the corps’ history.
One way this year’s show will reflect that is through the use of electronic amplification. The music design staff is striving to make a soundscape where acoustic and electronics can coexist.
“One of the most important sounds we can make in a drum and bugle corps is on the horns,” brass arranger Richard Saucedo said. “We want to make sure that we can hear those horns — even in a few moments in the show — without any amplification or without any kind of enhancement of any type.”
The Cavaliers aim to create a “modern, sleek and complimentary” electronic palette, which would allow the corps to captivate drum corps fans with various acoustic and electronic moments throughout the show.
“We've got a sample library that is extensive that's going to really enhance some of the transition moments and colors with the front ensemble in a way that is characteristic and fitting of the full ensemble instead of coming off as contrived and disjointed,” Black said.
4. Finding new harmony
Saucedo played an integral role in the Rosemont, Illinois corps’ five World Championships as its brass arranger from 2000-2008. When the opportunity came for him to return to the corps this season, the staff took advantage of the opportunity.
As The Cavaliers embrace the challenge of reimagining previously used musical motifs, the reintroduction of Saucedo allows the corps to explore fresh and vibrant harmonies with a historic connection.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RICHARD SAUCEDO
“Richard’s unique take on color tones, tetrachords and tonal centers and his ability to move around that in such an effortless way really personified the Cavaliers’ sound back in the early 2000s,” McIntosh said.
Walker mentioned that working with Saucedo has included an exploration of different sounds and tones.
“It’s kind of like having that giant box of crayons where you have permission to use all these different shades and colors,” Walker said. “We’re working in all these extended harmonies and it really opens up the creativity.”
The Cavaliers’ are set to kick off their 2023 summer tour June 28 at the Midwest Premiere DCI Tour event in Rockford, Michigan.