Blue Devils won their 17th Drum Corps International title in 2015 with “Ink,” climbing to the top after a fourth-place finish two days earlier at the World Championship Prelims.
After finishing 0.15 points under Carolin Crown’s “Inferno” in the Semifinals; the Blue Devils went on to beat the South Carolina crops by 0.575 points in the Finals.
The third-place Bluecoats’ “Kinetic Noise” took the fine art of exceptional amplification to new heights, topping The Cadets’ “The Power of 10,” which witnessed that corps turning every yard line into a 10-yard line. The Cavaliers’ ninth-place finish marked the lowest the corps experienced in 32 years and the 10th-place Boston Crusaders celebrated the corps’ 75th anniversary.
The working title of the fifth-place Santa Clara Vanguard’s “The Spark of Invention” show was originally “Tesla,” named for inventor Nikolai Tesla, best known for developing the AC (alternating current) electrical system. Primary inspiration came from his innovative work in the field of electric current and light, as well as his invention of the Tesla coil, X-ray machines, and much more. Tesla’s life equally spanned the 19th and 20th Centuries, and despite holding numerous patents on devices and systems that changed the world, he died a pauper. For the most part, the show was not about Tesla himself, but was inspired by his voluminous work.
Watch Vanguard's "The Spark of Invention" on Blu-ray disc
Each of the production’s scenes was based on a single, dramatic “spark” of invention. It was appropriate for Vanguard to perform such a show; the corps’ home of Santa Clara, California is in the direct center of Silicon Valley and the corps’ headquarters is in an industrial park that’s home to several tech giants. Vanguard Hall is less than a mile from where the first silicon chips were manufactured and within 15 minutes of where Tesla automobiles are made.
Prior to the start of Vanguard’s production, the audience heard the buzz of a Tesla coil, the devices popular in science demonstrations for emitting eye-catching lightning-like sparks. The 14 prop coils accompanied the first visual drill set, seven on each side of the horn line, igniting the show.
2015 Santa Clara Vanguard
The first part of the corps’ opener, titled “The Spark of Invention,” was J.S. Bach’s 1723 “Invention No. 13 in A minor,” performed by the front ensemble percussion section. This was one of the many two-part musical exercises in counterpoint the composer wrote for his students. After the fairly verbatim front ensemble treatment, gray and white flags were pierced by an electrical spark accompanied by a fanfare statement of Bach’s melody by the full corps.
An intricate trumpet octet utilizing reverb and echo introduced an original techno work — based on the Bach — by corps brass arranger JD Shaw and percussion arrangers Paul and Sandi Rennick. Notably the Rennick’s percussion section took first place in their caption in 2015. Fourteen dancing color guard members utilizing LED flashlights spun around at one point to subtly create the effect of sparks.
During a drum line feature, the brass players marched an interweaving routine based on a Jacob’s ladder, the traditional folk toy consisting of blocks of wood held together by strings that creates the visual illusion of the blocks cascading down the strings. Every time an electrical impulse was heard, another line of horns representing the next “falling” block moved out of a tight rectangular horn form.
Next the corps performed film and television composer Amin Bhatia’s “Virus Attack” written for his 2012 electronica album, “Virtuality,” which musically imagined life inside a computer. Bhatia may otherwise be recognized by drum corps fans for his 1987 “Interstellar Suite” which has been performed by Carolina Crown, Blue Devils B and the Velvet Knights, among other corps.
During this segment a Vanguard front ensemble percussionist utilized a theremin, which is an electronic musical instrument controlled by the hands of the performer moving around — but not touching — two antennas, one controlling volume and the other pitch. The instrument is named after Léon Theramin, who invented it in 1920. Its eerie sound may be best recognized for its extensive use in Bernard Herrmann’s 1951 movie soundtrack for “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
Playing to the theme visually, color guard costuming featured pictures of x-rays digitally printed on the front of their uniforms. When the percussionists took the drums being held for them by the guard members, the x-ray images were revealed.
2015 Santa Clara Vanguard
Next the corps programmed “Pure Imagination,” written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1971 film, “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” which totally changed the mood on the field with its musical depiction of isolation. One color guard member bearing two pigeon wing silks moved around throughout, accompanied by the rest of the guard spinning flags printed with images of a pigeon. Tesla, a shy introverted man who isolated himself from others, had a deep affection for an injured white pigeon that he nursed back to health. Brass players then knelt in the shallow arc forms of flying birds as if drawn by children.
John Corigliano’s 1968 “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Mvt. IV – Allegro” came next which introduced flags the color of copper, the same color as the metal wires wrapped around Tesla coils and connected to capacitors. Vanguard performed the piece angrily unconstrained, like electricity violently out of control.
A following front ensemble percussion break allowed the brass section and drum line to briefly face backward in a diagonal block, activating battery packs stashed under their tunics. When they sequentially turned to the front, the shocking sight of their lit LED sashes — including those quickly turned on by the front ensemble — generated a chilling effect. Translucently lit flagpoles spun by the guard members were also lit with a supernatural glow, supplementing newly glowing Tesla coils.
The overall effect, to put it mildly, was (ahem) electric.
2015 Overview
Michael Boo was a member of the Cavaliers from 1975-1977. He has written about the drum corps activity for more than 35 years and serves as a staff writer for various Drum Corps International projects. Boo has written for numerous other publications and has published an honors-winning book on the history of figure skating. As an accomplished composer, Boo holds a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in music theory and composition. He resides in Chesterton, Indiana.