New York Skyliners Alumni 2018 Staff/Music Program

The New York Skyliners Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps has been hard at work and on the move this winter off-season. The corps has found a new home at the Boonton NJ ELKS, due to renovation work being done at their old home in Englewood, NJ. But the music is the big news! With new instructor Alan Chez (NJDCHoF) at the brass helm and collaborating with long time SKY percussion arranger Wes Myers (WDCHoF/NJDCHoF), the corps is preparing for what should prove to be an exciting and crowd pleasing 2018 season. The corps is taking a little trip ‘outside the box’ by exploring some fresh, new material to blend with the traditional HY Dreitzer classics. Besides using arrangements from HY, this year’s program also includes arrangements from Danny Lutz, Larry Kerchner, and Bill Moore. Replacing and learning half a show is no small feat for any alumni corps but the horn line, charged with AL’s electric energy and coupled with Wes’s rhythmic accents and fills, the new charts are exciting, and the corps is psyched to perform them.

The 2018 music program contains 3 new tunes. The Opener is Billy Joel’s “NY State of Mind” written in 1976 for his Turnstiles album and performed by the competition corps in 1992 and 2002 as arranged by Danny Lutz. The color presentation is a patriotic medley of “Hymn to Victory” from the Victory at Sea Suite by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett for the 1954 film as arranged by HY coupled with a Bill Moore arrangement of “America the Beautiful” inspired by Brad Pearson’s “American Fantasy” as performed by the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band. The concert number in 2018 is Earle Hagen and Dick Rodgers 1939 jazz standard “Harlem Nocturne” as arranged by Larry Kerchner with a Duke Ellington intro arranged by Bill Moore. The entire repertoire will be unveiled at the corps first indoor performance – The Connecticut Hurricanes sponsored Veterans Appreciation Concert Sat April 28, at Seymour Middle School Auditorium, 211 Mountain Rd, Seymour CT.

The off season also saw corps elections for a new director. Longtime member and mellophone player Mike Collins takes over the reins of the corps from Jim Stanko. The corps thanks Jim for his service and welcomes him back into the Baritone line.

The 2018 Admin team is follows:
Mike Collins – Director
Barbara Rogers – Secretary
Bob Gironda – Treasurer
Evelyn Krejci – Business Manager
Debbie Nunn – Quartermaster
Trish Gariola – Assistant Quartermaster
Charles Vayda – Music Librarian / Public Relations
Carl Ruocco – Staff / Administrative Consultant

The 2018 Deign team and Instructional Staff are as follows:
BRASS:
Caption head: Alan Chez
Brass Techs: Pete Chez
Brad Coleman
Greg Cinzio

PERCUSSION:
Caption head / arranger: Wes Myers
Instructors: Jack Murray
Joe Fontana
Joe Musich
Bob ‘Jomba’ O’Conner
Jack McGuinness – keyboards

VISUAL:
Frank Rogers and Bob Findley

COLOR GUARD:
Brenda Peregrim and Sue DeJessa

HONOR GUARD:
Dolores Burbalak

The Skyliners Alumni 2018 repertoire as conducted by Drum Majors: Bob Findley, Brad Coleman and Bob O’Conner is as follows:

• “NY State of Mind” – A Billy Joel favorite from 1976, performed by SKY in 1992/2002 arranged by Danny Lutz
• “Puttin on the Ritz” – from the 1930 film by Irving Berlin performed by SKY in 1960/61 arranged by HY Dreitzer
• Medley of “Hymn to Victory” and “American the Beautiful” – from the 1954 film by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett arranged by HY for SKY in 1975 combined with a Bill Moore arrangement inspired by Brad Pearson’s “American Fantasy”
• “Harlem Nocturne” – a 1939 tune by Earle Hagen and Dick Rodgers arranged by Larry Kerchner with a Duke Ellington intro by Bill Moore
• “Elk’s Parade” – the famous 1940 Bobby Sherwood hit performed by SKY starting in 1972 arranged by HY Dreitzer
• Exit Medley – “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “Lil OL NY” from SKY 1972 exit arranged by HY Dreitzer
• Signature – SKY’s well-known and swinging finale arranged by HY Dreitzer

The Skyliners Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary and is sponsored by AL Post 1523 Staten Island NY and rehearsals are held at: The Boonton ELKS Lodge, 125 Cornelia St, Boonton, NJ 07005. The corps mission is to provide an opportunity for those wishing to be a part of a traditional drum and bugle corps by performing in a variety of indoor/outdoor performances, parades, and maintaining a twice a month rehearsal schedule.

For more information, complete rehearsal/performance schedule, corps history, pictures and audio/video of the corps, please visit us on our website at http://www.skyalumni.org/ or contact our corps Director Mike Collins at skyalumdirector [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Please visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Skyalumni/ or Twitter at @SkylinersAlumni.