Sunrisers Announce 2008 Design Staff

After what seems like only days since our trip to Rochester NY for the DCA World Championship competition, the Sunrisers are now “fired up” again and well on the way to gearing up for an exciting 2008 season. Following several weeks of evaluation and discussions with no further delay we are ready to introduce our design team:

Brass Design
The 2008 season brings a new staff member to the Sunrisers family: We are excited to welcome to our design team Dennis Argul, one of the most accomplished and sought after brass arrangers in the business. He has taught at New Jersey City University and is presently a full-time Music Teacher at Arts High School in Newark, NJ . Dennis has performed in various venues in the New Jersey/New York area, including performing on Broadway, as a bass trombone, tenor trombone, tuba and euphonium player. He currently works as a freelance Low Brass musician throughout the metropolitan area. Dennis also is a composer and arranger, and recently received an award from the New Jersey Council on the Arts ( in Composition). We’re honored to have Dennis be a part of our family and look forward to a long and prosperous working relationship with him.

Visual Design/Choreography
Visual Design: Brian Murphy – Brian returns to the Sunrisers for his second season to design our visual show. An accomplished, creative, and eminently professional visual designer, Brian’s name is well-known and respected in the WGI, DCI and DCA marching arts circuits.

Guard Design / Choreography & Caption Head: Darren Delaney – Darren (aka “Toes”) is returning to the Sunrisers for his fifth straight season, once again bringing with him a wealth of talent and knowledge, as well as the creativity and passion for teaching for which he has become known. Darren has participated in several top notch DCI and DCA guards, is a winner of several DCA guard I&E events and has been caption head within a number of DCA, WGI and marching band guards. His broad background and love for the visual arts make him a valuable asset and a perennial favorite here at Sun.

Equipment Design/Instructor: DJ Deans – Darnell “D.J.” Deans Jr. begins his second season with the Sunrisers, after having taught–and performed in– our guard in 2007. DJ has been director and instructor of several YEA Group IV , MAIN Scholastic A and WGI guards, and has performed in various indoor guards and DCA color guards since 1994.

Collectively Brian, Darren and DJ Deans have brought incredible creativity, veteran expertise and exemplary leadership to the table for the Sunrisers in 07. The unique collaborative design effort of this team was responsible for the Sunrisers winning not only the High Total Visual Effect award but also helped us to bring home the High General Effect award at Drum Corps Associates Class A Championships in 2007. We’re fortunate to have them all back with us for 2008.

Percussion Design
Battery Design and Front Ensemble: – Returning again for 2008 is our outstanding percussion design team:

• Sean Vega (battery) – a California resident, Sean has been a member of the Blue Devils percussion staff from 1997 to the present, and Caption Head/Arranger for the Riverside Community College Marching Tigers. He is also a clinician for Bands of America, Bowl Games of America, PAS, DCI, and Drum Corps Europe. Sean also performs with many local jazz and funk bands in the southern California area.

• Brian Dinkel (front ensemble) – Brian is an arranger for several West Coast marching bands and indoor percussion groups, and is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team. He also has performed with such notable recording artists as Tom Scott, Ed Shaughnessy, Alex Acuna, Peter Erskine, and Jerry Steinholtz

Sean and Brian worked hard for us in 2007, and produced an extremely exuberant, engaging and powerful percussion program that fit last season’s corps and show “like a glove”, making a major contribution as the Sunrisers garnered the High Percussion award on Championship weekend. Needless to say, it is an awesome feeling to have the Vega/Dinkel team back on board with us in 2008.

Stay tuned as we solidify the remaining positions on our 2008 staff lineup.

For membership information feel free to contact us at recruitment [at] sunrisers [dot] com