Fusion Core Announces 2007 Design Team
As our Journey begins, Fusion Core is thrilled to announce the design team for its inaugural 2007 season. Fusion Core’s staff coordinator is Eddie Bopp. Eddie Bopp has been involved in drum corps circuits for thirty years, and his instructional experience includes being on the Visual Staff of the Cranford Patriots, Fatardo, Bushwackers, and the N.Y. Skyliners, where he was also staff coordinator. He is also the Director of the Fusion Color Guard and has been on staff with The Patriots and The Colonial Brigade Color Guards. Eddie’s band experience includes Boonton High School, and Jefferson Township High School. In addition to teaching, Eddie Bopp has also judged for the Metro American and National Judges associations. The following design staff members have been working with Eddie Bopp to design the 2007 show.
Izzy Delgado is very excited about being the drill designer and visual caption head for Fusion Core during their first season on the field. He spent his marching days in the horn lines for both the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps and the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps. Upon aging out from the Raiders in 2000, he joined their visual staff in 2001 and went on to become the visual caption head in 2003 and 2004. Currently, Izzy is the program coordinator and visual designer for the Sayreville HS Marching Band and their Winter Guard, each of which has won a circuit championship during his tenure. Izzy is also the drill designer for the Spirit of Newark Drum and Bugle Corps. In addition, he has served as drill designer and visual caption head for the New York Skyliners Drum and Bugle Corps, was the drill designer for the Vision Elite Drum and Bugle Corps, and also designed drill for several high school marching bands in New Jersey, such as Whippany Park HS and Lakewood HS.
Izzy is currently on the design staff for the Fusion Color Guard and Genesis of Matawan Winter Guard, and was on the design staff for the Raiders Winter Guard. He also serves on the Mid Atlantic Indoor Network Task Force and is a Visual Adjudicator for the US Scholastic Band Association.
Ben Schwartz joins Fusion Core as Percussion Arranger and Caption Head. He has worked as a Music Educator and percussion arranger throughout New Jersey over the past 6 years, and is currently the Co-Director of Bands at Elizabeth High School. Ben studied percussion and drum-set with such percussion notaries as She-e Wu, Dennis Delucia, Tommy Igoe, and Bernard Purdie. Further, Ben has also arranged music and instructed for several high school marching bands in New Jersey such as Hightstown, Union, Governor Livingston, Lakewood, Sayreville, and Elizabeth. Ben’s marching career includes time with the Bayonne Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (1997 and 1998), the West Chester University Golden Rams Marching (1998 and 1999), and the Sunrisers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2006. While with the Sunrisers Ben won the Drum Corps Associates’ (DCA’s) "Drum-set" Individual competition in Rochester, NY.
Brass Arranger Rick Wygant’s drum corps career started thirty years ago with Fantasia III junior corps in Little Falls, New Jersey. Upon leaving Fantasia III, Rick marched with the Garfield Cadets (1983 – 1988). The Garfield Cadets were crowned DCI Champions four out of the five years Rick marched with the them (1983, 1984, 1985, and 1987.)
Rick’s drum corps teaching experience began when he was brass instructor for the Crossmen (1989 – 1993) and as a Brass Consultant with the Reading Buccaneers (1992.) He was also the Brass arranger for Westshoremen (1994), arranged the brass book for the New York Skyliners (2006), and has been the Brass Arranger/Music Director for the highly successful Jersey Surf (1995 to present.) Rick also brings to Fusion Core over 20 years of experience arranging for various New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland marching bands. In addition to teaching and arranging for drum corps, Rick has been a band director at Parsippany High School (1989 – 1994) and now currently in the Stroudsburg Area School District (1994 to present.)
Come down to Fusion Core’s Open House on January 6th to check out the wonderful show that the Design Team has already put together for our 2007 season. Go to our website for updated information and directions: http://fusioncorenj.homestead.com or contact Holly Marino, Director at exiggy1 [at] yahoo [dot] com.
