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| Location | Denver, Colorado |
|---|---|
| Division | World Class |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Director | Mark Arnold |
| Website | ascendperformingarts |
The Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Denver, Colorado, the Blue Knights are a member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI).
Fred and Fae Taylor were a pair of former vaudeville comedians and musicians who had settled in Denver and operated the Fred and Fae Talent School, where they taught vocal and instrumental music to young people. Fred was an accomplished drummer and a member of the Denver American Legion Grenadiers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps, and he believed that a junior corps would provide an opportunity for their music students to perform before the public. [1] [2]
Although the intent was for the corps to be a parade corps, it entered its first field competition during its first season, and in 1959, the corps traveled to the VFW National Championships in Minneapolis. In 1963, the corps joined the Great Plains Drum and Bugle Corps Association and entered into a period extending through the sixties and seventies where they were regularly competing in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.
The corps attended its first DCI Championships in 1975 in Philadelphia, finishing 11th in the Class A preliminaries. In 1977, 1978, and 2004 the Blue Knights were hosts for the Drum Corps International World Championships. [3] In 1979, the corps renamed its home competition, Drums Along The Rockies and turned it into both a major national competition and one of the corps' primary fundraising activities. [4] [5]
In 1984, George and Lynn Lindstrom became the corps directors. The Lindstroms were to instill the corps with a professional attitude toward competition; the successful bingo operation, in place since the early 80s, made it possible for the corps to purchase the equipment necessary to fulfill the goals of the new attitude. The Lindstroms departed after the 1985 season, and director Mark Arnold was hired. Under Arnold's leadership, the corps became a major competitor, earning its first finals spot in 1991. [6] Since then, the corps been a finalist twenty-four times across twenty-eight seasons.
After working as acting director during the 2021 season, Daniel Belcher was promoted to executive director. [7] After several seasons, Daniel Belcher moved on to other opportunities with Mark Arnold returning to his role as executive director for the 2024 season. [8]
The Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble was established in 1993 and first competed in the 1994 Winter Guard International season where they won their first world championship. They also won world championships in 1999, 2000, and 2003. The Blue Knights are also the longest continually running WGI Percussion Ensemble.
The Blue Knights also operated an open class ensemble that made appearances at WGI Percussion Independent Open finals in 2005 and 2006. After years of inactivity, the Blue Knights Independent Open ensemble returned for the 2024 WGI season. [9]
Source: [10]
| Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist [lower-alpha 1] |
| Pale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist [lower-alpha 1] |
| Year | Repertoire | World Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Placement | ||
| 1975 | Repertoire unavailable | 48.150 | 21st Place Class A |
| 1976 | Battle of Britain by William Walton / Hill Where the Lord Hides by Chuck Mangione / Battle Hymn of the Republic by William Steffe & Julia Ward Howe / Feelings by Louis Gasté & Morris Albert | Did not attend World Championships | |
| 1977 | Somewhere, When You're a Jet, Mambo & Tonight (all from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim / I Get Crazy & Hill Where the Lord Hides by Chuck Mangione / Evergreen (from A Star Is Born) by Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams / Maria (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim | 57.900 | 41st Place Open Class |
| 1978-1982 | Repertoires unavailable | Did not attend World Championships | |
| 1983 | Magic Flea by Sammy Nestico / Tuxedo Junction by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, Julian Dash & Buddy Feyne / That's a Plenty by Lew Pollack / Dixie Land Jazz / For Your Eyes Only by Bill Conti & Mick Leeson | 51.700 | 31st Place Open Class |
| 1984 | If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot / Sweet Inspiration by John Cameron / Trilogy by Keith Emerson & Greg Lake / Magician by Andrew Leigh / Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Ashford & Simpson / I'm Gonna Make You Love Me by Gamble and Huff & Jerry Ross | 70.700 | 22nd Place Open Class |
| 1985 | A Pirates' Tale Pirates by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & Peter Sinfield | 68.200 | 31st Place Open Class |
| 1986 | Rockin' The Rockies Rockin' The Paradise by Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw & James "J.Y." Young (Styx) / Too Much Time on my Hands by Tommy Shaw / Since You Asked by Judy Collins / Light Up by Dennis DeYoung / Thick as a Brick by Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) / Feels Like the First Time by Mick Jones (Foreigner) | 68.700 | 27th Place Open Class |
| 1987 | Savannah River Holiday by Ron Nelson / Ritual Fire Dance (from El amor brujo) by Manuel de Falla / Requiem by Andrew Lloyd Webber | 73.400 | 22nd Place Open Class Semifinalist |
| 1988 | Moorside March by Gustav Holst / Divertimento for Band by Vincent Persichetti / Pie Jesu (from Requiem) by Andrew Lloyd Webber / March (from First Suite in E-Flat) by Gustav Holst | 78.600 | 17th Place Open Class Semifinalist |
| 1989 | Moorside March by Gustav Holst / Punchinello by Alfred Reed | 81.200 | 16th Place Open Class Semifinalist |
| 1990 | Chichester Psalms, Offertory, I Go On, Sanctus & Agnus Dei All from Mass by Leonard Bernstein | 85.400 | 13th Place Open Class Semifinalist |
| 1991 | Savannah River Holiday by Ron Nelson / Outdoor Overture by Aaron Copland / Aspen Jubilee by Ron Nelson | 87.700 | 9th Place Open Class Finalist |
| 1992 | Portraits of Aaron Copland Billy the Kid, Corral Nocturne (from Rodeo) & The Red Pony by Aaron Copland / Chorale & Shaker Dance by John Zdechlik | 90.000 | 9th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1993 | The Next Generation Battle in the Mutara Nebula (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) by James Horner / Clear All Moorings & Star Trek VI Suite (from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) by Cliff Eidelman / Little Green Men by Steve Vai | 85.000 | 10th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1994 | Trittico For Brass Band Trittico For Brass Band by James Curnow | 88.400 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1995 | Legacy Introduction, Main Theme, Adagio, Fugue & Finale All from Legacy by Ramsey Lewis | 81.300 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist |
| 1996 | Music of Ron Nelson Rocky Point Holiday & Sonoran Desert Holiday by Ron Nelson | 80.700 | 12th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1997 | Ben-Hur Prelude, Overture & The Battle, Parts I and II (from Ben-Hur) by Miklós Rózsa / Lithe Girl, Brown Girl (from The Lovers) & Father In Heaven (from Prayers of Kierkegaard) by Samuel Barber | 88.200 | 9th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1998 | Masters of the Symphony Symphony No. 10, Mvts. 1 & 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique), Mvts. 1 & 3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Largo (from Symphony No. 9) by Antonín Dvořák / Ode to Joy (from Symphony No. 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven | 89.500 | 9th Place Division I Finalist |
| 1999 | Suite for Brass and Percussion Trittico For Brass Band by James Curnow / Partita For Band by Edward Gregson | 92.500 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2000 | Colors of Brass and Percussion Movements 1 & 3 (from Montage) / A Time for Love, A Time for Hate & A Time for Peace (from The Essence of Time) All by Peter Graham | 92.000 | 6th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2001 | Blue Toons Cartoon by Paul Hart / Black Market Juggler by Joe Zawinul / An American in Paris by George Gershwin | 83.900 | 14th Place Division I Semifinalist |
| 2002 | Fear and Trembling Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Piano Concerto Op. 38 by Samuel Barber | 85.500 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist |
| 2003 | Primary Colors Kaval Sviri (Traditional), adapted by Peter Liomdev / Izpoved by Krassimir Kyurkchiysky / Prologue by Mike Nevin | 85.350 | 13th Place Division I Semifinalist |
| 2004 | A Knight's Tale A Knight's Tale by Mike Nevin / Trittico For Brass Band by James Curnow / I Go On (from Mass) by Leonard Bernstein | 87.600 | 10th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2005 | A Midsummer Knight's Dream Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II / A Midsummer Knight's Dream by Mike Nevin, Russ Newbury & Pat Amann | 88.225 | 10th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2006 | Dark Knights Piano Concerto by Samuel Barber | 90.125 | 7th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2007 | Dark Dances Piano Concerto No. 1 & Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich | 90.275 | 8th Place Division I Finalist |
| 2008 | Knight Reign Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre / Turbine by John Mackey / Jeux d’eau by Maurice Ravel / Amazing Grace by William Walker & John Newton | 88.250 | 9th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2009 | Shiver: A Winter in Colorado Winter (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi / Glide by Russ Newbury & Jeff Audesmore / Landslide by Stevie Nicks / Tarantella by Phil Kline / Coronation (from Stardust) by Ilan Eshkeri | 86.450 | 11th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2010 | Europa! L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2: Farandole by Georges Bizet / W.N. & Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Edward Elgar / Symphony No. 1, Mvt. 4 by Johannes Brahms | 87.100 | 11th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2011 | An English Folk Song Suite First Suite in E-Flat by Gustav Holst / English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams / Shepherd's Hey & Molly on the Shore by Percy Grainger / Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams | 89.200 | 9th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2012 | Avian Danse Infernal, Berceuse & Finale All from The Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky | 86.700 | 10th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2013 | NoBeginningNoEnd This Bitter Earth by Clyde Otis / On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter / Circle One by Jay Bocook / The First Circle by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays | 87.750 | 10th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2014 | That One Second A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics (from A Beautiful Mind) by James Horner / Brief Eternity by Don Rosler & Roger Treece / Hand of Fate – Part 1 (from Signs) by James Newton Howard / To Build a Home by Patrick Watson, Phil France & Jason Swinscoe (The Cinematic Orchestra) | 91.150 | 8th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2015 | Because... Because by Lennon–McCartney / Head Rush by Jay Bocook, Kevin Shah & Mike Jackson / Après Moi by Regina Spektor / I’m Alive by Adam Watts / Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell / Fly to Paradise by Eric Whitacre | 91.850 | 6th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2016 | The Great Event Gorgon by Christopher Rouse / Flight to the Wasteland, Adagio and Transfiguration & Arrows of the Gods Medley by Elliot Goldenthal / Fratres by Arvo Part / The Great Event by Leonard Cohen / Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven / Air Waltz by Oliver Davis / Saturn by Ryan O'Neal (Sleeping at Last) | 90.738 | 7th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2017 | i Wave by Beck / Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra by Joseph Schwantner / 107 Steps by Björk / Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap | 90.400 | 8th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2018 | The Fall and Rise Sun King by Lennon–McCartney / The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky / Exit Music by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Philip Selway, Ed O'Brien & Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) / Welcome to the Machine by Roger Waters / Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman | 88.925 | 9th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2019 | ...I Remember Everything Sudden Throw by Ólafur Arnalds / Liquid by Jay Bocook / Hurt by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) / Lonely World by Moses Sumney | 92.050 | 7th Place World Class Finalist |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Always What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele & George David Weiss / Rank and File by Moses Sumney / Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell / Lovely by Billie Eilish O'Connell, Finneas O'Connell & Khalid Donnel Robinson (Khalid) | No scored competitions | |
| 2022 | Vibe Neglected Space by Imogen Heap / Wailers & Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin / She by Laura Mvula / Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence & Ari Levine | 85.787 | 14th Place World Class Semifinalist |
| 2023 | Unharnessed Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi / Released by Jeff Ausdemore & James Catherall / Break On Through (To the Other Side) by The Doors / Submission by Leslie Gilreath & Jeff Ausdemore / Absolution of Word by Jeff Ausdemore & James Catherall / Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz / Freedom by Pharrell Williams | 86.375 | 12th Place World Class Finalist |
A modern drum and bugle corps is a musical marching unit consisting of brass instruments, percussion instruments, electronic instruments, and color guard. Typically operating as independent non-profit organizations, corps perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and other civic functions. Participants of all ages are represented within the corps activity, but the majority are between the ages of 13 and 22 and are members of corps within Drum Corps International.
Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for drum and bugle corps responsible for developing and enforcing rules of competition and for providing standardized adjudication at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions throughout the United States and Canada. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American governing body that sanctions championship events for three competitive performing arts activities: color guard, percussion ensembles, and indoor marching bands. WGI was founded in 1977 in response to inconsistent adjudication and rules of competition which made it difficult for color guards to compete nationally. Today, WGI publishes and maintains an adjudication handbook, with an accompanying "Rules & Regulations", that has been widely adopted.
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