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2008 MCA Harrisburg Invitational


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During the drum break in RIO would be my guess....

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What set this group aside from their counterparts is their mature symphonic sound. This was particularly evident during their ballad of American Elegy, the tribute to the victims of the Columbine tragedy. The lush brass sounds are complemented exceptionally by the effective use of orchestral percussion. It really is a "must-see."

Wow, Donny. I am excited to hear you do this next week. I had the opportunity to play this Ticheli piece with the 137 piece Association of Concert Bands convention band under the baton of Alan McMurray two weeks ago at Corning. It truely is a beautiful composition.

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Inspired by Kevin's notes from the Serenade in Brass, I thought I'd include a few of my notes from the MCA show Saturday afternoon. You can read the full story in the next issue of Drum Corps World, but here's a quick taste.

The crowd had the ballroom at the Crown Plaza nearly packed. Fran Haring was on hand to emcee the event, Hawaiian shirt and all. The judging panel consisted of Frank Dorritie, Dave Martin and Jeff Weir. This would be the first event to use the new mini corps judging sheets.

The Reilly Raiders eight-man brass ensemble kicked off the day with an original score by Chris Killian. It must have been tough driving those rhythms without a percussion section to back them up, but they succeeded admirably bringing a unique blend of traditional Irish music with some big city flair.

Next up, the 6-time DCA World Champion Erie Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds are an actual “mini” corps, in the truest sense of the word, complete with brass, battery percussion, and even mallets. The crowd was audibly impressed at the impact from the corps’ opening statement. The hair on the bass drummer during Shaft was hilarious. Jeff Gibbons rocked the house with one spot-on solo after another.

It would take a truly tough competitor to follow that performance, but the members of Amoskeag Sound were up to the challenge. Proof that you can be small and still be mighty, this troop competes with the minimum number of participants; touting just nine brass and two percussion. They began by drawing the crowd in with their rousing rendition of the Hebrew hoedown, Hava Nagila. Soloists trade back and forth throughout their entire program, but still exhibit excellent control. All about entertainment value, they even have their sops sing in Spanish!

The buzz here on DCP has been about the Ghost Riders and the preparations they’ve been making for this show. They must've figured "if there's no stage, bring your own!" Members brought out fence posts, wagon wheels and other props in addition to their performance equipment. The opening statement of Battle Hymn closes with a full-ensemble salute of the national colors. Very cool. These cats can swing though, too. What set this group aside from their counterparts is their mature symphonic sound. This was particularly evident during their ballad of American Elegy, the tribute to the victims of the Columbine tragedy. The lush brass sounds are complemented exceptionally by the effective use of orchestral percussion. It really is a "must-see." The corps closes with its namesake, Ghost Riders in the Sky featuring a spectacular trumpet duet between the father and son team of Donny and Timmy Allen.

Mass Brass took the stage with the largest horn line of the afternoon and a powerful wall of sound to prove it. Although their repertoire consists of a series of drum corps classics, their sound is anything but old-fashioned. The high brass is especially effective, pushing the envelope as they demonstrate agility that would put many larger corps to shame. The drummer is no slouch either. It’s too bad that this corps is already full. It would be interesting to see them with an extended percussion section.

Rounding out the competitive portion of the afternoon was the defending MCA Invitational and 2004 DCA Mini Corps Champs, the Golden Eagles. While mini corps shows generally present a wide variety of styles, the Golden Eagles were a musical smorgasbord all in themselves. Their 2008 program features a variety of music, including Latin, Classical and Jazz. I got a wake up call when (unbeknownst to me) soprano legend Frank Ponzo was “waiting in the wings” right behind me, ready to launch into his solo. The crew from West Sayville ultimately blew the house down with their closer of When a Man Loves a Woman ala the Blue Devils that earned them a well-deserved standing ovation.

As the scores were tallied up, fans were treated to a small contingent of DCA’s newest Class A corps, Excelsior performing a portion of their 2008 competitive show, “Robin Hood - A Field Production.” Parts of their program were difficult to read at times as the arrangements are very intricate and a substantial portion of the corps was not present for this performance. But there were several key ensemble moments that showed the audience what this corps is really capable of. Keep an eye on Donel Mysliwiec, Excelsior’s exuberant drum major. Her enthusiasm is infectious and will be an asset the corps as they take the field in their first year of competition.

Sincere thanks to the friendly and professional staffs at both Five Star Brass and MCA for putting together another excellent production that was a joy for both fans and performers alike.

Fresh back from vacation ... any scores to post from the show?

:-)

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Fresh back from vacation ... any scores to post from the show?

:-)

Scroll down page three of Alumni Discussions and look for the MCA thread.

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Well it's about time Mr. hoidy toidy.....look for me in the Bermuda Triangle........welcome back

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Well it's about time Mr. hoidy toidy.....look for me in the Bermuda Triangle........welcome back

Yup ... in San Juan ... lots of "little people" running around with "My Dad Is Jimmy C" tee shirts on ...

:-)

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Aiyeeeeeeeee......chihuahua.....they lie....hey chica

Yup ... in San Juan ... lots of "little people" running around with "My Dad Is Jimmy C" tee shirts on ...

:-)

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