Velvet Knights Announce 2009 Drum Major

The Velvet Knights Drum & Bugle Corps would like to officially welcome Kriss Sakurai as Drum Major of the 2009 Velvet Knights.

Kriss is a junior at Chino High School, in Chino CA. He is the clarinet section leader for the four time SCSBOA Champions the 77th Cavalry. He is also the accompanist for the Chino Chorale on the piano.

I started playing my first instrument, the piano, in 1995, and it quickly became my passion. Since then, I have added clarinet and trombone.



I became interested in conducting in 8th grade; I helped conduct the band several times, and by high school, I had furthered my conducting experience and organized a small ensemble for performance: the Kaitou no Juusou (Japanese for the Euphonious Ensemble).

Some of my interests include music, technology, and biochemistry. I plan on attending UCLA and majoring in diagnostic medicine with a minor in music composition and software engineering.

I was first enticed to join the Velvet Knights by a good friend in the 77th Cavalry; there was not a time when he was not talking about VK. After learning of the opportunities and the immense experience I would get from joining such a talented group, I could not pass up the chance to become a part of the magic.

I am looking forward to an amazing season with the Velvet Knights!

Kriss has also recently received the Maestro Award, performing at the Orlando Heritage Festival 2009 in Florida.

Kriss will lead the 2009 Velvet Knights Drum & Bugle Corps in their 2009 production "Cirque D’ VK"