Brigadiers Announce 2009 Design Team

| |

The Brigadiers Drum and Bugle Corps is pleased to announce its 2009 design team and caption supervisors. The Brigs have assembled a top-notch ensemble of local professionals and educators who are hard at work creating a fresh, new and exciting program for the 2009 season.

Program Consultant: Robert Vitti
Bob has been involved with the marching music activity for several decades, both as a participant and a teacher. He began his performance career in the 60’s as a member of Greenwich Boys Club Drum and Bugle Corps, the Byram CT Stateliners, and ending his career as a marching member of Hawthorne Muchachos.

Along with his time on staff with the Brigadiers, Bob has also worked with several DCI and DCA corps in providing a quality educational experience for all involved.
Bob has a B.A. and Masters in Music Education from Manhattanville College, as well as additional credits in Music Administration. He has been employed by the Port Chester, NY School District as a Music educator for 25 years, and since 1992 has been the Band Director of the Award winning Port Chester High School Band.

Visual Design & Supervisor: Rick Morey
Rick enters his 17th season with the Brigs. He has been involved in the pageantry activity for several decades, both as an adjudicator and a visual designer. Rick adjudicated for DCI for 19 years and judged their championships 16 times. He has adjudicated for WGI and BOA, as well as numerous marching band festivals around the country. A past President of the New York Federation of Contest Judges, Rick has also been a clinician in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. He currently designs visual programs for championship marching bands in New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Auxiliary Supervisor: Melody Wildrick
Melody has been involved with the Brigs for the past 17 years. She was a marching member of the colorguard for 14 years, and was also a member of the 1999 and 2000 Brigadiers’ winterguard. She has been a part of the staff for the past 2 years. Melody has designed for and taught various high school marching bands and winterguard programs in Central New York for the past decade, as well as serving on the Mid-York Colorguard board of directors for the past several years.
Melody holds a B.A. in Elementary Education/Psychology of the Exceptional Child from SUNY Cortland, and a M.S. in Elementary Education from LeMoyne College. She currently teaches 4th grade in the Syracuse Diocese.

Auxiliary Design: Christian Delmotte
We are pleased to welcome Christian Delmotte to the Brigadiers staff for the 2009 season. Christian’s previous drum corps experience was with the Hawthorne Caballeros, where he served as Color Guard Caption Head and Designer. Christian has designed and consulted for many competitive, scholastic and independent programs including WGI Finalists Innuendo and the Emanon Winter Guard.

Brass Arranger & Supervisor: Peter Blake
Peter is currently beginning his 12th season with The Brigadiers and first as the brass arranger for the corps. Currently, he is a middle school band director and teacher of music in an alternative program for the Syracuse City School District. On top of his professional duties, Peter is pursuing a degree in Educational Leadership to go along with his BA in music-education from Syracuse University. Over the past 3 years he has been the musical designer / program consultant for several bands in the northeast. During his time with The Brigadiers, he has had the opportunity to work on both the visual and brass staffs, as well as spending 2 seasons with The Cadets, including their 2005 World Championship season.

Percussion Arranger: Lee Beddis
This is Lee’s first year with the Brigadier organization. His background includes work with Star of Indiana, Glassmen, Crossmen Phantom Regiment and the Madison Scouts. Lee’s unique reputation as a program builder prepared him for the role of returning the 2005 and 2006 Madison line to elite status. Lee currently leads the percussion program with Carolina Crown, where he has built a quality program since 2007. The Brigadiers are pleased to have Lee as part of our 2009 Design Team.

Battery Supervisor: Joseph Revere
Joe started his Drum Corps experience in 1995 at the age of 12 with The Brigadiers. He marched with the Brigadiers from 1995-1998, 2000 were he marched in the Cymbal line, bass line and in the Snare line. He then moved to the Empire Statesmen in 2003-2006 in the Snare line. Joe started his teaching career with East Syracuse-Minoa High School as the Percussion tech in 2001-2002. From 2003 to 2005 he led the Auburn High School Marching Band as Caption Head. Joe is currently the Caption Head for the Phoenix High School Marching Band and the Director of their Winter Drumline. Joe has been on staff with The Brigadiers since 2007 as the Snare tech.

Front Ensemble Supervisor: Robyn Launt
Robyn holds a Bachelors of Music degree from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where she studied with James Petercsak, and a Masters of Science degree in Special Education from SUNY Cortland. Robyn has taught various marching bands and winter percussion ensembles in Central New York since 2002. Currently, Robyn is a music teacher at Roxboro Road Middle School in the Cicero- North Syracuse School District, an instructor for the Onondaga Community College Winter Drumline with Dr. Robert Bridge and instructor for the ES-M Marching Band and Winter Percussion Ensemble.

2009 Open House & First Rehearsal Camp

The Brigs will begin their 2009 Season with an Open House and first camp December 6 & 7, 2008 at Canastota High School. Additional information concerning times and location will be posted on our website at www.brigadiers.com.

With roots dating to 1938, The Brigadiers Drum & Bugle Corps was reorganized in 1991 after a nineteen-year absence from competition. The Brigadiers are 5-time Drum Corps Associates World Champions, winning titles in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, and are one of only two drum and bugle corps to ever win four consecutive DCA titles.
For more information, visit the corps’ website at www.brigadiers.com.

Posted by on Saturday, November 1st, 2008. Filed under DCA News.