Genesis aims to reinvent “The Firebird” for an electronic era

The story, brand and values of Genesis go hand in hand with the spirit of Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”

The corps’ logo proudly features a phoenix. Its 2009 birth came from what remained of a previously-active drum corps organization — rising from the ashes, as it were. And each year, Genesis makes a point to reinvent itself; like a phoenix, the corps’ aim is to burn down its former self, and start fresh, taking a new approach in a new season.

Genesis CEO and program coordinator Chris Magonigal was quick to admit it, though — drum corps audiences are no strangers to “Firebird Suite.” Over 50 years of Drum Corps International summers, Stravisnky’s 1919 work has appeared in dozens of on-field productions.

“Firebird has been done,” Magonigal quipped. “I mean, DCI itself has put out a video about ‘Which Firebird was best? So the question was, ‘How do we do this differently?’”

In the spirit of Genesis’ constant rebirth and reinvention — as well as its hope to take a bold new approach to an age-old drum corps classic — the corps plans to draw a fresh angle from the inspiration of a 1976 arrangement of the suite by Japanese electronic composer Isao Tomita.

“(Tomita’s arrangement) has been with me all these years,” Genesis music supervisor Key Poulan said. “He was a pioneer of doing orchestral works through the electronic form. We got a lot of inspiration from the Tomita project, as well as great recordings of Stravinsky's work.”

“It won't be your grandfather's Firebird,” Magonigal added, “that’s for sure.”

A modernized approach to a classical staple is just one component of a production that Genesis hopes will execute the next step in its continued year-over-year reinvention.

AUDITION FOR GENESIS' 2023 CORPS

The corps’ 2023 program, titled “Symbio.sys,” tells a simple story at its core — that of a back-and-forth struggle between artificial intelligence and human creativity, which ultimately gives way to a unified and synthesized solution between the two inverse entities. In a broader scope, it provides a canvas on which Genesis can paint a variety of new ideas, and a vehicle through which the corps can utilize exciting new technology.

As Magonigal described, “Firebird” serves as the show’s “catalyst.” Genesis’ production will open with several minutes of music that he described as “very Firebird” and “very drum corps,” before the show merges into an electronic soundscape as the struggle between worlds develops.

While Genesis has yet to reveal its complete repertoire for “Symbio.sys,” the corps did note Imogen Heap and John Mackey as artists whose work will be featured in the program. Magonigal noted Mackey’s “Asphalt Cocktail” — utilized in a number of past drum corps productions, including Seattle Cascades’ 2019 program — as a planned closing impact.

“This year’ show is essentially about artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and how it's becoming more creative,” Magonigal said. “You'll want to check out the evolution of this one, because it will evolve throughout the summer, both visually and musically.”

“It'll be a lot of experimentation,” he added. “Some things will work, some things won't.”

 

“You'll see some surprises here and there, with AI coming online until the point where it starts to mimic the human element of creativity that we have, and then it starts to become creative itself,” Magonigal said. “And then ‘Asphalt Cocktail’ is this energetic moment of arrival, and a powerful closer.”

Among plans for the integration of modern technology in Genesis’ 2023 production, Poulan described plans for the corps’ third movement — which, he said, is titled “The Conversation.”

“It's literally a human talking to a machine,” Poulan said. “And that's kind of what we do with today's AI technology. You throw in a prompt here or there and you get a response.”

But as he pointed out — both as it pertains to the story being told on the field, and the drum corps art form in general — the electronic aspects of the production must be controlled and harnessed.

“I think that's a really cool little twist to the overall story,” Poulan added. “We still have to control the electronic side of things. We can't just let AI take over.”

Magonigal explained that this year’s music will be a step up for the Austin, Texas corps, in terms of difficulty and complexity.

“(Poulan’s) writing for this book is definitely the hardest brass book that we've encountered, which is awesome,” Magonigal said.

Visually-speaking, Genesis’ 2023 production provides plenty of opportunity to try new things as it relates to set design. In one sense, though, the corps is going back to the basics; according to Magonigal, Genesis doesn’t plan to have any stationary props on the field during its production.

They’re looking at set design from a different perspective. Magonigal kept things as close to the vest as possible, but opened up the door to drum corps fans’ imagination in regards to what to expect from the corps’ visual setup.

“I can tell you that we don't have any physical props on the field, but that doesn’t mean that we don't have props,” Magonigal said, “because right now, we're considering every member of the drum corps a prop.”

Ultimately, Genesis’ plans and goals for its 2023 production are sky-high. They present a challenge, but as Magonigal and company see it, the end will justify the means.

“I really think that there's going to be some things that we're trying this summer that nobody has ever seen and possibly heard on a drum corps field, and we're really excited about that,” Magonigal said. “This is going to be the largest undertaking we've ever had.”

VIEW GENESIS’ 2023 TOUR SCHEDULE