Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps
 | |
| Location | Fort Mill, SC |
|---|---|
| Division | World Class |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Director | Jim Coates |
| Championship titles |
1993 (Div. II) 2013 (World Class) |
| Uniform |
(2016) Black jacket Striped brown pants with brown and gold swirly strip down left leg Black shoes Topless black shako w/ brown and gold swirly stripe and neck wraparound, |
Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class (formerly Division I) competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Carolina Crown is a member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI).[1] On August 10, 2013, Carolina Crown won the 2013 DCI World Class Championship, also becoming the first former Open Class/Division II corps to do so.[2]
History
The Carolina Crown organization was founded in 1988 as the Charlotte Drum Corps Association, a group of local drum corps fans who gathered on an irregular basis to talk about drum corps and watch drum corps video. After organizing themselves with Bill Loelius as president, Kevin Smith as vice president, and Luanne Bialecki as Secretary-Treasurer, the group hosted two drum corps shows, Southern Gold Classic at Davidson College and NightBEAT at Charlotte's Memorial Stadium. Southern Gold Classic drew a small audience and lost money. NightBEAT was much better attended, but the group was unable to pay the stadium rental. When NightBEAT Chairperson Doug Madar, Bill Loelius, and Kevin Smith met with Charlotte Parks & Recreation Department Superintendent Marvin Billups to discuss working out some sort of payment schedule, they were surprised when Billups not only wrote off the bill for the 1988 NightBEAT but offered the Department's sponsorship for future shows. In 1989, a gift of $1000 was offered by the Queen City Optimists with the proviso that the organization start a performance group; after discussions initially centered on starting a drum line, Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps was born.[3][4][5]
After the corps bought a complete set of drums from a defunct drum and bugle corps only to discover that they were seriously damaged, John Cummings of Ludwig Drums offered to repair the drums as part of an informal sponsorship of the corps. The name Carolina Crown was adopted to recognize the groups' desire to represent the Carolinas region while still recognizing Charlotte, the Queen City, which has a crown in its logo. The leadership group met, in the fall of 1989, with a number of young band directors who were also alumni of Suncoast Sound, Spirit of Atlanta, and the Madison Scouts drum and bugle corps to tell them of their efforts to start a new local corps. From this group, Don Flewell, Cecil Adderley, Bill Register, and Van Mathews volunteered to be the corps' first instructors. After locating and purchasing the horns of the defunct California Dons, Carolina Crown began recruiting members. The corps also formed a partnership with the Mecklenburg Council of the Boy Scouts of America as Explorer Post #588, which aided them in finding school space for auditions and practices.[3][4][5]
In 1990, fielding a corps of only sixty-one members, Carolina Crown elected to compete in the Open Class (now known as World Class) in DCI. However, not only was the corps out-classed by the other, larger corps in Open Class, but it was also bested in DCI prelims by seven corps that had advanced from Classes A and A60, finishing thirty-third of 33 corps at their first DCI World Championships in Buffalo.[6] In 1991, the corps dropped down to Class A. At the DCI Championships in Dallas, Carolina Crown finished in second place in Class A and advanced to Open Class prelims, where they placed twenty-fifth, earning DCI Associate membership. Carolina Crown was third in the 1992 Division II championship in Whitewater, Wisconsin, once more finishing in twenty-fifth place in Division I (which had been renamed from Open Class) prelims in Madison, Wisconsin. At the 1993 DCI Championships in Jackson, Mississippi, Carolina Crown won the Division II Championship title and finished in twenty-first place in Division I prelims.[3][4][5]
After winning Division II in 1993, Carolina Crown opted to compete exclusively in Division I in 1994. That year, the corps finished seventeenth in DCI semifinals in Boston. In 1995, in only its sixth season, Carolina Crown earned a spot as one of DCI's Top Twelve Finalists, taking eleventh place in quarterfinals and holding that position through Finals. Since that first Finals appearance, Carolina Crown has failed to make DCI Finals only once, finishing in fourth place in 2008, 2010 and 2011, in second place in 2009, 2012 and 2015, and winning the World Class DCI World Championship in 2013.[2] In recent years, Crown has become renowned for its hornline, consistently one of DCI's very best. In the championship year of 2013, the brass scored the first (and only) perfect score in DCI Finals history,[7] and also won the Jim Ott Award for Best Brass Performance for the 4th time in the preceding five years, and won it again in 2016.
In 1995, the corps moved from Charlotte to Belmont, North Carolina. Following the 1997 season, the corps relocated to its present home of Fort Mill, South Carolina.[3][4][5]
Sponsorship
Carolina Crown, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) musical organization that has a Board of Directors, corps director, and staff assigned to carry out the organization's mission.[8] Jim Coates is the corps director.[9]
Show summary (1990–2016)
Source:[10]
Gold background indicates DCI Championship; pale blue background indicates DCI Class Finalist; pale green background indicates DCI semifinalist.
| Year | Theme | Repertoire | Score | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Music Man | Goodnight, My Someone / Ya Got Trouble / Lida Rose / Marian the Librarian / Till There Was You / Goodnight Ladies / 76 Trombones All from The Music Man by Meredith Willson | 58.60 | 33rd |
| 1991 | The Music of Prokofiev | Piano Concerto No. 3 / March, Opus 99 / Troika (4th Movement from Lieutenant Kije Suite) / Alexander Nevsky / Ivan the Terrible All by Sergei Prokofiev | 91.50 66.40 | 2nd Class A 25th Open Class |
| 1992 | The Dances of Malcolm Arnold | English Dance I (Set One, Op.27) / English Dance II (Set Two, Op. 33) / English Dance IV (Set One, Op. 27) / Four Scottish Dances III (Op. 59) / Four Cornish Dances IV (Op. 91) All by Malcolm Arnold | 90.50 69.70 | 3rd Class A 25th Open Class |
| 1993 | La Fiesta Mexicana | Aztec Dance / Mass / Carnival All from La Fiesta Mexicana, by H. Owen Reed | 94.30 74.20 | 1st Division II 21st Division I |
| 1994 | A Southwestern Impression | El Salón México by Aaron Copland / Rio Grande, Round Up, Wagon Train & Fiesta by Morton Gould | 75.10 | 17th |
| 1995 | Stormworks | Stormworks by Stephen Melillo / Watermark by Enya / The Storm by Marty McCartt | 82.80 | 11th |
| 1996 | Chess... and the Art of Strategy | Strategical Fanfare by Marty McCartt / Presto with Malice (from the First Symphony) by Sir William Walton / Nimrod & Variation XV (based on themes from Enigma Variations) by Sir Edward Elgar, arr. Marty McCartt | 82.10 | 10th |
| 1997 | Postcards from Britain | Crown Imperial by Sir William Walton / Terpsichore by Bob Margolis / Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Sir Edward Elgar / Gigue (from Saint Paul's Suite) by Gustav Holst | 85.00 | 12th |
| 1998 | Heroes: Then and Now | Russian Christmas Music / Armenian Dances / Praise Jerusalem by Alfred Reed | 85.70 | 11th |
| 1999 | Jekyll and Hyde | Prologue / Once Upon A Dream / Murder, Murder / Confrontation / In His Eyes / Facade All from Jekyll & Hyde by Frank Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden | 86.30 | 11th |
| 2000 | The Mask of Zorro | Main Title / The Ride / Diego's Goodbye / Stealing the Map from The Mask of Zorro by James Horner | 85.15 | 11th |
| 2001 | Industry | Original music by Marty McCartt / Concerto for Four Percussion by David Gillingham / Main Theme from The Cider House Rules by Rachel Portman / Motown Metal by Michael Daugherty | 86.95 | 10th |
| 2002 | Greek Mythology, Stories of Gods and Heroes | I. Zeus – Second Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber / II. Eros – Eros (from Javelin) by Michael Torke / III. Icarus – One Day I'll Fly Away (from Moulin Rouge!) by Will Jennings and Joe Sample / IV. Medusa – Medea's Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber / Piano Concerto by Samuel Barber | 81.80 | 16th |
| 2003 | Bell-isimo! | Mass (from La Fiesta Mexicana) by H. Owen Reed / Earth (from Symphony No. 1) by Philip Sparke / Stained Glass by David Gillingham / Engulfed Cathedral by Claude Debussy / Carol of the Bells by Mykola Leontovych | 86.65 | 10th |
| 2004 | Bohemia! | Má vlast by Bedřich Smetana / La bohème by Giacomo Puccini / Seasons of Love, (from Rent) by Jonathan Larson / Epistrophy by Thelonious Monk / Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury (Queen) | 91.225 | 7th |
| 2005 | Angelus | The Reason by Ed Nalle and Bob Kauflin (GLAD) / A Mighty Fortress by Martin Luther / Angel by Sarah McLachlan / Never Surrender (from First Knight) by Jerry Goldsmith / Joy (from Awakening) by Joseph Curiale / Call of the Mountain (from Gates of Gold) by Joseph Curiale | 90.725 | 7th |
| 2006 | In.trance.it | Urban Dances & Celestial Night by Richard Danielpour | 89.975 | 8th |
| 2007 | Triple Crown | Theme from Dreamer by John Debney / The Trap by James Newton Howard / Wild Horses by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones) / Happy Ending (from The Red Pony) by Aaron Copland / Manny's Story (from Dreamer) by John Debney / William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini / Last Race (from Dreamer) by John Debney | 94.15 | 6th |
| 2008 | Finis | Candide by Leonard Bernstein / Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach / Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini / Ode to Joy (from Ninth Symphony) by Ludwig van Beethoven / Suite Bergamasque (Claire De Lune) by Claude Debussy / One Hand One Heart & Somewhere (from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein / Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt / Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich / 1812 Overture by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland / Hallelujah Chorus by George Frederic Handel | 96.8 | 4th |
| 2009 | The Grass Is Always Greener | The Promise of Living (from The Tender Land) by Aaron Copland / St Michael the Archangel by Ottorino Respighi / Puck One (from Il Sogno) by Elvis Costello / Sensemayá by Silvestre Revueltas / Somewhere (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein / Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg / Slalom by Carter Pann | 97.5 | 2nd |
| 2010 | A Sec2nd Chance | Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler / Symphony No. 2 by Aram Khatchaturian / Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Marquez / Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Edward Elgar / The Promise of Living (from The Tender Land) by Aaron Copland | 95.95 | 4th |
| 2011 | Rach Star | We Will Rock You by Brian May (Queen) / Iron Man by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler & Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) / Piano Concerto No. 2 & Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff / Paint It Black by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones) / Eruption by Michael Anthony; David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and Alex Van Halen, (Van Halen) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff / Piano Concerto No. 1 by Keith Emerson / Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury (Queen) / Free Bird by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) | 95.30 | 4th |
| 2012 | For the Common Good | Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland / Dreams by Bertrand Moren | 97.65 | 2nd |
| 2013 | E = MC² | Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass / Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss / Walking With Heroes by Paul Lovatt-Cooper / The Devil's Bridge by Bertrand Moren / The Abyss by Alan Silvestri / The Light Fantastic & The Dark Side of the Moon by Paul Lovatt-Cooper | 98.30 | 1st |
| 2014 | Out Of This World | Space Oddity by David Bowie / Interstellar Suite by Amin Bhatia / Shadow Behind The Iron Sun by Evelyn Glennie / Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling / There's No Place Like Home by Michael Giacchino / Perihelion by Philip Sparke / Vitae Aeternum by Paul Lovatt-Cooper | 95.675 | 5th |
| 2015 | Inferno | Gates of Hell (Original composition) by Thom Hannum,Tony Nunez and Steve Ridley / Dies Irae by Giuseppe Verdi / Symphony for Organ and Orchestra by Aaron Copland / Adagio in G Minor by Remo Giazotto / Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven | 97.075 | 2nd |
| 2016 | Relentless | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone / The Ecstasy of Gold by Ennio Morricone / Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23a by Samuel Barber / Journey of the Lone Wolf by Simon Dobson / El Tango de Roxanne by Sting, Craig Pearce, Baz Luhrmann, Mariano Mores / Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen / Il Triello (The Trio) by Ennio Morricone / Equilibrium by Paul Lovatt-Cooper | 97.088 | 3rd |
Traditions
Corps Song: "Carolina In My Mind"
Carolina Crown's official corps song is "Carolina in My Mind" written by North Carolina native James Taylor and originally arranged by former corps faculty member Marty McCartt and re-arranged by Andre Feagin. The lyrics were adjusted for the corps by guard member Adele Honrath (née Williamson) in 2001. The corps sings in harmony before entering the field before each performance. All Crown alumni are welcomed to sing this with the corps.
The adjusted lyrics are: "In My Mind I'm Going To Carolina Can't You See The Sunshine, This Feeling Lasts For a Lifetime, Something That I Have Come To Find, I'll Never Leave Behind, Yes I'm Going to Carolina In My Mind."
Theme from "Band of Brothers"
In addition to the corps song, the hornline also sings and performs the theme from the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" (composed by Michael Kamen; arranged by Michael Klesch) as a theme of brotherhood within the hornline. They sing it after all rehearsals and perform it on their instruments during encores. The hornline never sings it publicly, but only in a close huddle after rehearsals.
Corps Picture "Crown"
Since 1990, the corps has always formed the trademark Crown logo while having its group picture taken at DCI Championships. Usually, The Drum Major forms the very tip at the top of the crown. In addition, the bass drum section has often made it a tradition to have their eyes looking off to one side as the picture is snapped.
Age-Out Dinner
Every year, the corps recognizes the age outs from the current year with a formal dinner held during finals week. The age-outs are given an opportunity to speak, and are awarded their age out Crown pendants at this time. In 2007, the decision was made to combine the Age-out dinner with the corps awards banquet, which had traditionally been held the December following the Summer. In 2009, another wrinkle was added as the corps held the age-out dinner in the afternoon of the day after Finals. This was the first time in the corps' 20-year history that it did not depart the Finals city immediately after the Saturday Night Finals show.
NightBEAT
From 1988-2008, Carolina Crown hosted "NightBEAT" at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Downtown Charlotte. This show is considered to be the premier non-regional DCI show in the country.
From 2009-2011, NightBEAT was moved to Rock Hill, SC's District III Stadium. While this is a smaller venue than Memorial Stadium (About 4100 seats vs. 7000-8000 for ALMS), the move was necessary as the City of Charlotte was forced to temporarily close ALMS due to a part of the concrete stands collapsing.
In 2012, NightBEAT returned to ALMS when the stadium repairs were completed. The NightBEAT return was a great success, with a nearly sold-out crowd, and the Carolina Crown missed defeating the Blue Devils by 0.2 points.
NightBEAT was again held at ALMS in 2013, with the largest crowd in NightBEAT history; nearly 7,500 spectators. Again Carolina Crown narrowly missed defeating the Blue Devils by 0.05 points.
In 2015 and 2016, NightBEAT was held at Wake Forest University's BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, NC.
Revenue from NightBEAT is one of Crown's largest funding sources.
References
- ↑ Drum Corps International :: Marching Music's Major League™
- 1 2 DCI.org News: A New Champion is 'Crowned'
- 1 2 3 4 http://carolinacrown.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=96
- 1 2 3 4 corpsreps.com - The Drum Corps Repertoire Database
- 1 2 3 4 A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, Vol. 2; Steve Vickers, ed.; Drum Corps World, 2003
- ↑ http://www.fromthepressbox.com/19900815div1prelims.htm
- ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/business/press-releases/article/Carolina-Crown-Drum-and-Bugle-Corps-Wins-First-4738023.php (accessed Sept. 3, 2013)
- ↑ http://www.carolinacrown.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=441
- ↑ http://www.carolinacrown.org/web/index.php?option=com_contact&view=category&catid=12&Itemid=443
- ↑ "Song History for Carolina Crown". corpsreps.com. Maher Associates, Inc. Retrieved October 16, 2015.