Allan Kristensen - DCI Hall of Fame

Allan E. Kristensen

Inducted in 2025

“A judge’s judge” is how one DCI Hall of Fame member described Allan Kristensen. 

“Every generation of drum corps instructors and participants has a judge or two who inspires them with their knowledge, their ability to rank and rate, to score fairly and accurately, and for whom the members of the ensemble love to perform,” said DCI Hall of Fame member Dennis Delucia. “Allan Kristensen is the person for the percussion community.”

Kristensen started his marching percussion journey with a drum and bell corps in 1967. He would go on to play in multiple famed Santa Clara Vanguard snare lines led by Fred Sanford from 1974 to 1976 — quite the way to spend one’s “formative years.” He then became a teacher and arranger, eventually taking on the Vanguard percussion section in 1986 and ’87.

Kristensen joined DCI’s adjudication community in 1989; in no time, he became one of DCI’s “go-to” judges when the marquee events rolled around. He judged his first DCI World Championship Finals in 1992 and would judge 11 Finals events in all before retiring, a record.

One of those Finals, though, was especially memorable — 2014. DCI’s director of competition Lee Carlson remembers it well.

“While judging the Carolina Crown one of the snare drummers dropped his drum,” Carlson said. “Allan picked the drum up and returned it to the young performer — Something that just came natural to him. The performer had a bad moment, and Allan decided that he could make it better, and he did. The video of the event went viral and was seen all over the world.”

In his nomination letter, former Vanguard snare drummer and Kristensen student Mike Needham summed up his friend and mentor.

“His excitement is contagious not only to the people and friends who know him, but also to the performers listening to his (recorded commentary),” Needham said. “Allan gets just as pumped as you are when a drum line is having a good night. He’s never happier than when he sees or hears an amazing performance no matter who’s playing or what the show is about.”

A sought-after clinician with professional music education and marching music organizations across North American and around the globe, Kristensen’s impact isn’t limited to DCI. Often seen judging the Bands of America Grand Nationals, he’s also served as a past president of the Western Band Association and of the Fresno-Madera County Music Educators Association.

“I can think of few among us who possess the creative spirit, energy and acumen to accomplish what Allan has done in his professional and drum corps life,” said retiring DCI judge administrator John Phillips.

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