Douglas Thrower - DCI Hall of Fame

Douglas Thrower

Inducted in 2019

Brought up in the Canadian drum corps scene, Douglas Thrower started his drum corps career at the age of 11 with his hometown corps, the Krescendos from Peterborough, Ontario, before joining the Seneca Optimists.

Turning his focus to education, Thrower enjoyed a long and successful career as a brass instructor and arranger for a number of Canadian drum corps, including the 1986 DCI Class A Champion Canadian Knights, Kiwanis Kavaliers, Cardinals, and the 1990 DCI finalist Dutch Boy.

It was in 1992 that Thrower came to the Bluecoats as a brass instructor before being promoted to brass caption head the following year. In this position he worked to create with others a distinctive Bluecoats sound, aided in 1997 when he added brass arranging duties to his resume.

“Doug was very quickly effective in not only fielding a successful brass section with an instantly identifiable sound, but also applying his warm, approachable personality and famous sense of humor to creating an educational experience and brass program that positively impacted the lives of thousands of students,” former Bluecoats executive director David Glasgow said.

Thrower stepped away from day-to-day instruction of the Bluecoats brass section in the early 2000s to focus more on his arranging. Over nearly three decades with the corps his presence has been critical to its success.

“He has consistently delivered some of our activity’s most memorable musical moments,” DCI Hall of Fame member Scott Koter said. “Doug will always be known for making somewhat abstract pieces accessible to the masses. His creativity was paramount in leading the Bluecoats to their first DCI World Championship in 2016, using a musical program that shifted the design paradigm for every drum corps show since.”

“Doug’s writings have had a great deal to do with the corps’ rise and competitive success,” DCI Hall of Fame member Donnie VanDoren said. “His arrangements and orchestrations are creative, innovative, entertaining, and current … and with the influence of his jazz background and through the use of complex harmonies and rhythms, Doug has given the Bluecoats an identity all their own.”

Thrower was inducted into the Bluecoats Hall of Fame in 2009.

Hall of Fame Induction Speech