Irish musician and podcaster Keith Kelly takes the reins of the Field Pass in his special-edition series, “Finding Drum Corps.”
In Episode 5, Keith explores the competitive side of Drum Corps International from both the perspective of judges and of fans.
Special guests include: DCI judge administrator John Phillips, Santa Clara Vanguard brass caption head Marc Nichols, Bluecoats alum John Weldy, Marching Arts Education podcaster Tim Hinton, DCI CEO Dan Acheson, and former Blue Knights member and Finding Drum Corps co-producer Mallory Anderson.
Listen to archived Field Pass episodes on SoundCloud
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Episode 4: The show on the road
Episode 3: What it takes
Episode 2: Those who have come before
Episode 1: Origin Stories
PREVIEW: Finding Drum Corps Podcast
Keith Kelly has been actively working with marching and concert bands in Ireland for more than 20 years. Having studied clarinet and saxophone in Dublin’s famous Artane Band, Kelly joined the Irish Defence Forces Band in 2004 where he served as principal clarinetist of the Band of the Western Command for more than 10 years.
Keith served as the general manager of the Artane Band and School of Music from 2014-2017, where he oversaw the implementation of a major three-year strategic plan, the $1.6 million redevelopment and extension of the school, the formation of a new 100-strong choral society, and the development of ongoing partnerships with Drum Corps International and Notre Dame University.
Kelly now works as a consultant and advisor to many arts organizations through Bands of Ireland, his own company Kelly Arts and Events, and Celtic Horizon Tours, assisting individuals, organizations, and ensembles from around the world to plan tours and events, advocate for support and funding, as well as planning for their future. He’s also the director of the Celtic Band Festival which welcomes marching and concert bands from around the world each year to Ireland. In 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Kelly started the Global Bandroom Podcast and community to develop international virtual performance and education opportunities for bands and band musicians.