Reading Buccaneers Announce 2011 Coordinators And Designers
The Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps announced today that its entire world championship design team will return to lead the corps on its 2011 campaign. The team, together since the fall of 2007, is already hard at work assembling another world-class program sure to entertain fans and provide members with a great educational experience.
Returning as Staff Coordinator will be Carl Ruocco. Rich Hammond will reprise his roles as Program Coordinator and Percussion Arranger. Jay Bocook will return to the corps as Brass Arranger. Mark Lortz will again write the front ensemble book. The visual team will be led by Visual Designer Bobby Jones and Color Guard Designer Steve Vincent.
?The mission of the Reading Buccaneers is to provide its members with a world-class educational experience in the performing arts. That starts with a world-class staff, and we?re fortunate to have just that,? said assistant director Lou Tierno, who oversees staff selection and retention for the corps. ?This team epitomizes our ?total-team? focus on excellence. It?s also the fourth consecutive year this entire team is in place ? that consistency will benefit fans and our members alike. We?re excited about what the Buccaneers will bring to the field in 2011.?
World Drum Corps Hall of Fame member Carl Ruocco (Staff Coordinator) is looking forward to his seventh year heading the Buccaneers staff. ?There are so many good things happening in this organization, and I?m happy to be a part of it,? said Ruocco. ?We have a fantastic creative team, and I emphasize the word ?team.? They?re extremely talented individuals who work very well together to produce well-coordinated programs that showcase all of our members at their best. As great as the 2010 production turned out, there are certainly things we can improve upon for 2011. I?m looking forward to that challenge very much.?
A resident of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, Ruocco has enjoyed a long and influential career in both the drum corps and marching band activities. As a teacher and administrator, his stellar drum corps resume includes service to Star of Indiana, Crossmen, Jersey Surf, Spirit and Santa Clara Vanguard as well as his storied tenure with the Buccaneers. He has been a long-time member of the New York Skyliners organization. He has judged the Drum Corps International world championships three times and the Drum Corps Associates world championships twice.
Rich Hammond (Program Coordinator, Percussion Arranger). A graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, Hammond attended the University of the Arts and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He has been a marching member of the Hamilton Knights, the Reading Buccaneers and Crossmen. In addition, he has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. His drum corps writing and teaching stints have included the Crossmen, the Glassmen and the Reading Buccaneers, where he has produced six world championship percussion programs. In addition to his work with the Buccaneers, Rich has been Percussion Program Coordinator for Drum Corps International?s Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps, where he led the Surf to a 2007 Division II percussion title. Hammond?s resume also includes work with the WGI world champion Hatboro-Horsham and the USSBA Group 6 Open Champion North Penn Marching Knights, where he is Director of Percussion. He was inducted into the Buccaneers Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jay Bocook (Brass Arranger). Mr. Bocook returns to the Buccaneers for his fourth season. A celebrated composer and arranger, Bocook is currently Director of Athletic Bands at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he previously served as Director of Bands. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Furman and a Master of Music from Northeast Louisiana University. He has written for many ensembles, including school bands at all levels and the United States Marine Band, as well as the nine-time Drum Corps International world champion Cadets, where he currently serves as Brass Arranger.
Mark Lortz (Front Ensemble Arranger). A celebrated composer, arranger, and educator, Mr. Lortz is employed by the Carroll County, Maryland Public Schools, where he oversees the high school’s orchestra, concert and marching bands, percussion wind ensemble, color guard and music technology programs. He is also an adjunct music professor at McDaniel College, in Westminster, MD. Lortz holds a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance and a minor in composition and piano from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where he also earned two Master’s degrees in music composition and music education.
Steve Vincent (Color Guard Designer). Steve’s marching experience includes five years with the Westshoremen, five years with the Sunrisers and eight years with the Buccaneers, as well as three years with the Threshold and Black Watch indoor guards. He has also marched at Millersville University and North Penn High School, where he was drum major. His teaching credentials are equally considerable: Vincent has taught guard at the Buccaneers, Westshoremen and Sunrisers for nine years. He has taught the Souderton High School indoor guard for six years, Allentown’s The Guard for ten years. He has also instructed the West Chester University color guard and has thirteen years experience teaching guard at Downingtown and Souderton High Schools. He led the Buccaneers color guard to the 2010 DCA caption title.
Bobby Jones (Visual Designer). Bobby returns to the Buccaneers for his fifth year, having produced award-winning visual programs for the Buccaneers in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He made an immediate impact when he first joined the Bucs staff in 2005 when he produced a world championship visual program and was named staff member of the year. In addition to his work with the Buccaneers, Jones is a much sought-after designer and consultant for marching bands, drum corps, indoor guards and drumlines. He is also an adjudicator for USSBA. His drum corps resume includes design work for the Crossmen and Hawthorne Caballeros, among others.
On Sunday, November, 28, 2010, the Buccaneers will host Membership Day 2011, at Twin Valley High School, Elverson, PA. Registration begins at 11:00. All persons interested in learning more about the Reading Buccaneers and being part of the 2011 corps are invited to attend. Please visit the corps’ web site at www.readingbuccaneers.org for more information or email membership [at] readingbuccaneers [dot] org. .
Founded in 1957, the Buccaneers are a non-profit, education-oriented musical organization. The Buccaneers are a charter member of Drum Corps Associates and won the first-ever DCA world championships in 1965. Additional titles followed in 1968, 1979, 1980 and, most recently, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010– all six undefeated championship seasons. In 2009, the Buccaneers posted the highest championship score in DCA history, a 99.025 out of 100. In 2010 the Buccaneers established or extended DCA records for most championships (10), most consecutive victories (57), most consecutive championships and most consecutive undefeated seasons (6).
For more information, visit www.readingbuccaneers.org.
