dureau

Beautifully written and perfectly appropriate to current transition and direction the Cavies are creating. It’s going to be beautiful to watch.

Bravo

You are just repeating the obvious which I just said.

Clearly the GE should have gone to Phantom. Boston’s GE was confusing and messy design.

Its obvious you think I don’t know any of this. Well think what you want. but the entertainment has been boring lately and the scoring system has made the outcomes way to predictable too early. There has to be a way to change this. And it may take removing some of the decisions on scoring away from the corps and giving some of it to independent sources.

I’ve lost all confidence and respect for the dci scoring system and its judges. It just plain does not judge proficiency just visual .

Sick scoring. Boston was boring. And they won percussion? Nada

From DCI The Cavaliers' 2024 production is titled, "Beneath the Armor."Photo by: Drum Corps International 06-19-2024 12:55 Introspective “Beneath the Armor” to usher in new era of The Cavaliers by Ashlee Woods Throughout 75 years of existence, The Cavaliers have crafted a rich and storied on-field identity. A signature feathered “cavalier” hat and the trademark green uniform are just some of the things drum corps fans have come to know and love about the Rosemont, Illinois corps. “...Where You’ll Find Me,” the corps’ 2023 program, honored that identity with a show filled with those very visual and musical motifs. When the curtain closed on the corps’ 75th anniversary season on Aug. 12, one question arose. What will define the next era of The Cavaliers? That singular question guided the heart-to-heart conversations the corps’ design staff had during a retreat in Orlando in December. The 76th year needed to point toward the evolution of The Cavaliers and the members who will take the field this summer. In doing so, the corps uncovered the importance of realizing the best version of itself, which became the foundation for the corps’ 2024 program, “Beneath the Armor.” “Our hope with the audience this summer is that this show will speak to people on a level that lets them know that it’s okay to be themselves, to speak their mind and be the person who they want to be,” Cavaliers program coordinator David Starnes said. According to Starnes, the show doesn’t follow the structure of a typical drum corps show, a decision made early in the design process. Instead, the show is laid out in episodes that will take audiences musically through a plethora of emotions. In between these episodic moments are “glimpses,” which Starnes describes as brief musical interludes that “take the musical character from a previous movement and provide the listener with a bridge to the next movement.” BENEATH THE ARMOR REPERTOIRE Episode 1 - “Metallized” Original composition by Richard Saucedo, Michael McIntosh, Clif Walker, and Matt Black with musical quotations from “Music for Prague 1968” by Karel Husa Glimpse 1 - “Shielded” Original composition by Clif Walker, Michael McIntosh, and Matt Black with musical quotations from “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick Episode 2 - “Deflected” Original composition by Richard Saucedo, Michael McIntosh, Clif Walker Glimpse 2 - “Contemplation” Original composition by Clif Walker, Michael McIntosh, Matt Black Episode 3 - “Reflection” “You’ve Changed” by Billie Holiday and “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Arranged by Richard Saucedo, Clif Walker, Michael McIntosh, Matt Black Glimpse 3 - “Transformation” Original composition by Michael McIntosh, Clif Walker, Matt Black Episode 4 - “Revelation” “Bring Me to Life” by Amy Lee, arranged by Richard Saucedo, Clif Walker, Michael McIntosh, Matt Black With much of the show relying on swings through different emotions, the corps drafted a list of terms for a feeling associated with each segment. The lists for each segment have served as a resource for the overall performance. “I’ve charged the performers with finding two or three descriptors within each of the seven segments of the show that hits them, whether it’s because of their personal life, their friend or their family,” Starnes said. “It’s okay if we have 150 different interpretations. We’re all going to see the same movie within that given glimpse or episode of the show.” As Starnes described, the show will begin with a dark, metallic musical style, featuring Karel Husa’s “Music for Prague 1968.” The piece, which is well-known in the concert band world, has only been performed a small handful of times on the Drum Corps International stage, perhaps most notably in Madison Scouts’ 2017 show, “The Last Man Standing.” For this section, The Cavaliers will be in their “armor,” the trademark Cavalier uniform. As the show musically progresses, drum corps fans will hear “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick. This statement, which will be quoted throughout the show, reflects the search to find one’s inner self. The corps’ ballad movement will blend Billie Holiday's “You’ve Changed” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” in a moment of self-reflection for the corps. “That was really impactful for us to be able to use,” Starnes said. “You’re looking at yourself in the mirror finding that person you want to be. But in the back of your mind, you hear ‘You’ve changed.’ So, there’s a great musical marriage between those two.” Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” will serve as the show’s closer and the culmination of the corps’ journey of finding the hero within themselves, according to Starnes. Visually, The Cavaliers are pulling inspiration from architect and designer Frank Gehry within eight art pieces that will line the field. Gehry, among buildings like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, designed the bandshell that is a centerpiece of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, near the corps’ hometown. One side of the corps’ art pieces will feature structured lattice work, serving as yet another manifestation of the shield one may have up. This will be juxtaposed with detailed images of male faces on the opposite, which will be revealed as the show progresses. This season’s uniform will also include metallic elements that mimic armor. While Starnes is excited to share the entire program with drum corps fans, he’s also elated for fans to see the energy from the corps he’s been able to experience firsthand during rehearsals. He’s been particularly surprised by the progress of the brass section. “When I got here a week into spring training and heard them for the first time, I was shocked, amazed and elated, all in the same breath,” Starnes said. “They are very talented, energized and on a mission.” The Cavaliers will look to carry that energy into the corps’ first stop on the 2024 DCI Tour at the DCI Midwest Premiere presented by Fruhauf Uniforms, Wednesday, June 26, in Rockford, Michigan. SEE THE CAVALIERS ON THE 2024 DCI TOUR https://www.dci.org/news/introspective-beneath-the-armor-to-usher-in-new-era-of-the-cavaliers

Unless. The bossed and leadership is doing what they have indicated. Testing new methods of sound production in brass using. Less amplification and experimenting with professional area methods used by top pop performers. Working toward the future which can cause some loss off progress until they hit the right methods. And this season was for the cavies the ending of an old guard of staffing and building anew. I noticed much improvement over last year in all areas. In addition, the 75 anniversary marks a new era for sll cavaliers including the fans.

Cinema Paradiso - Cavaliers. Use as theme of show and use this beautiful piece as the ballad.

From DCI Cavaliers percussion has a clear focus as 2023 hits final stretch by Ashlee Woods The night of July 22 was a night that the 2023 membership of The Cavaliers will never forget. Amongst a lineup of 20 World Class corps, the Rosemont, Illinois corps came out on top in the percussion caption at the first “regional” event of the summer. The result in San Antonio came as a surprise, as it’s not typical for a corps that finishes eighth overall at the event to win a caption. However, the first-place finish at the tail end of July was just the manifestation of what The Cavaliers’ percussion staff has been preaching to the members— continue to work hard and the work will be noticed. “Every single day, we’ve preached working hard and the payoff will eventually be there,” Cavaliers percussion caption manager Josh Brickey said. “It showed up big time that day.” Members of the percussion section were excited after hearing about the result in San Antonio. The bus ride back to the corps’ housing site was full of celebration. The Cavaliers' snare drum line performs July 22 at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio. Even with some well-earned time off to relax and unwind in the Alamo City the following day, corps members were counting down the time until they could get back to the practice field to continue fine-tuning their craft. “The reaction from everybody was, ‘We want to get back to work,’” Cavaliers snare drum section leader Garrett Irwin said. “We had a free day the day after and everyone was just itching to get back onto the field and get back to doing it again.” The Green Machine’s 2023 production, “Where You’ll Find Me,” is an homage to the corps’ 75 years of history. With that came the challenge of repurposing nearly eight decades of percussion writing for a modern-day show. This year’s percussion composition incorporates new ways to perform music and sounds that drew many people to The Cavaliers in the first place. “It was a real opportunity for us to create a book that was not just about the rudiments,” Cavaliers percussion arranger Michael McIntosh said. “I'm sure everybody could say that about their labor of love. But, it's a real special thing to touch on things that emotionally affected you and drove your artistic choices as a performer and as a designer.” Cavaliers bass drummers on the field of Center Parc Credit Union Stadium in Atlanta. There are several easter eggs that point to different moments of The Cavaliers’ history. Whether it’s the use of instruments like guiro sticks and splash cymbals or repurposing an iconic musical stanza, every note of the percussion book written follows the percussion staff’s recent trend of creating a new sound with each production. “One of the things that our front ensemble arranger Clif Walker prides himself on is always creating and introducing a new sound into our show every year,” Cavaliers front ensemble instructor Ashley Summerlin said. Building the group of performers for this season’s production was just as important as the music on the page. The percussion staff wasn’t purely focused on recruiting the best performers. In fact, the staff was also focused on finding the members that fit the culture and identity of the organization. “Our big goal is to keep developing a good culture around toughness, working, having a blue collar mentality and [to] just be good people,” Brickey said. “A lot of those guys are best friends and they enjoy being around each other every day and that was a big goal of ours.” McIntosh mentioned that the connection between The Cavaliers and Rhythm X — a highly-competitive indoor percussion ensemble — has been beneficial for the corps this year. Many of the members in the section have received a year-long education, which has played a huge role in how everyone performs. “It’s just [about] getting used to playing next to each other and how we operate as people,” Irwin said. Months of meticulous planning has produced some strong results in the percussion scoring caption as the 2023 DCI Tour reaches its last few days. The Cavaliers have consistently placed at the top of the percussion caption since early July. The Cavaliers took first place in the percussion caption during the DCI Southeastern Championship in Atlanta, July 29. Everything kicked into high gear when the Green Machine made its trek through the Lone Star State, as the corps placed first in percussion at every Texas event it performed at including the highly-competitive DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc. The stretch of first-place finishes continued into Atlanta, where The Cavaliers earned another first-place percussion finish at the DCI Southeastern Championship presented by Ultimate Drill Book. The success the Cavaliers’ percussion section has experienced this season can likely be attributed to several factors. But, McIntosh believes that the members are being rewarded for simply showing up to rehearsal every day and having a “blue-collar mentality.” “The journey and the day-to-day, blue-collar work ethic is what I think the judges have been reacting to because we've been very consistent,” McIntosh said. “The judges are picking up on the ability for us to touch on some historical aspects of the program and then repurpose them in a way that’s relevant to 2023.” The Cavaliers last took home the Fred Sanford Award for Best Percussion Performance at the 2011 DCI World Championships. It’s been 12 years since The Cavaliers last won the Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance Award. Earning the award for the first time since 2012 would be an incredible honor for the corps. The percussion section and staff is focusing on staying in the moment and keep building toward an on-field performance the corps can be proud of. “They gel together really well,” Summerlin said. “They rehearse really well. We're just really proud of the progress that they've made so far this year and the potential of where they have to go the rest of this season.” As much as the 2023 season has been about honoring the past, this season has also been about establishing a new identity. The Cavaliers’ staff hopes that “Where You’ll Find Me” is the foundation for the culture the corps strives to build for future performers. “This is a real opportunity for us as a corps to define and redefine who we are for the next several years,” McIntosh said. “And that for me is a really exciting opportunity as an educator to help to make the corps better than when I found it.” VIEW THE CAVALIERS' 2023 TOUR SCHEDULE

I’ve been wanting to volunteer also but my GI problems keep me from doing so at 81 now. Wish I had done it 10 years ago. I love the Cavies so much. I will be at Indianapolis all 3 performance days. And attending the pre finals Cavies party. My first. Travel back to finals since 2019 due to COVID. Can’t wait to see them in person again. i still think they will take 6th place.

It’s a 75th anniversary show and very appropriate.

That’s is not something you could know. And probably wrong.

Yes they did.