Welcome to Corps Encore, Utah’s premier marching music event. Ascend Performing Arts, home of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, is pleased to be sponsoring this unique event for the 18th year! As we move forward presenting the very best in world class outdoor musical exhibition, we are so pleased we’re returning to Stewart Stadium on the Weber State University campus for another great evening of pulse-pounding beats, soaring melodies and heart-stopping visual displays right at the foot of the Wasatch range.
Every summer, young performers from across the globe come together with one purpose—to become part of the incredible experience that is drum corps. Hundreds of hours of rehearsal will take place before these performers ever see an audience. With every corps striving to become the best of the best, competition is fierce right out of the gate. These corps are involved in the world of competitive drum and bugle corps sanctioned by Drum Corps International (DCI). These members, along with the staffs that coach and lead them, have put their hearts, bodies and souls into the performances you’re about to see. Whether you’re a seasoned drum corps veteran or completely new to the activity, you will be blown away by what these young performers can accomplish. For these performers-no matter what their dream--being part of a DCI drum corps can help them achieve it, while at the same time providing them with one of the most intense and rewarding performing arts educations experiences in the world. The skills and lessons they learn while on the road with their chosen corps will build a strong personal and educational foundation which will benefit them the rest of their life.
Thank you for coming tonight and supporting these amazing performers on their incredible journey towards Drum Corps International’s World Championships held in Indianapolis, Indiana this August. What you’re about to see is some of the most entertaining and finest youth activities in the world, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Mark Arnold, Executive Director
Ascend Performing Arts, Inc
SHOW SCHEDULE
7:30 PM Welcome and National Anthem
7:45 PM Impulse Buena Park, CA
8:03 PM The Battalion Salt Lake City, UT
8:21 PM Intermission
8:45 PM Seattle Cascades Seattle, WA
9:03 PM Boston Crusaders Boston, MA
9:21 PM Blue Knights Denver, CO
9:39 PM Encore - The Battalion Salt Lake City, UT
9:46 PM Scores Announced
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
VICTOR Neves
Victor Neves was an early advisor, donor, and volunteer for The Battalion, supported by his wife Caroldean. The Neves family has been instrumental in growing the corps and Utah’s marching arts community. He was also heavily involved in the operation of Corps Encore for more than thirty years.
A passionate supporter of the performing arts, Victor especially championed former students who became educators. In 2019, he received The Battalion Lifetime Service Award for his work with the corps and as a long-time volunteer housing coordinator for tonight’s event.
Above all, Victor deeply loved his family and proudly celebrated their achievements. He embodied joy.
Victor passed away on September 20, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. His loss sparked an outpouring of love and gratitude, revealing just how many lives he had touched.
Blue Knights
2025 REPERTOIRE
Flying 101 by Ms Bronx
Drip by Leslie Gilreath, Jeff Ausdemore, Tanner Leonardo
Main Title (from Cast Away) by Alan Silvestri
Water by Tyla
Former vaudeville comedians and musicians, Fred and Faye Taylor, founded the Blue Knights in 1958. Recognized for innovation in visual design and contemporary programming, the Blue Knights have been a DCI World Championship finalist more than 20 times. Operating under Ascend Performing Arts, the organization also sponsors two indoor winter percussion ensembles, including their four-time WGI World Champion World Percussion Ensemble. Throughout the year, Ascend conducts numerous events, educational clinics and provides event entertainment worldwide.
STAFF
Executive Director
Mark Arnold Drum Majors
Benjamin Cummings, Adisyn Livingston, Madeline Natvig, Kelsey Wolf
Design
Jed Weeks (Program Coordinator), Jeff Ausdemore (Percussion Designer), Leslie Gilreath (Brass Designer), Noe Gomez (Visual Designer), Jessica Glasgow (Visual Coordinator, Guard Designer), Tanner Leonardo (Sound Designer), Jay Bocook (Consultant), Ronnie Pruitt (Ensemble & Staff Coordinator)
Brass
Felix Cruz (Caption Head), Thomas Hubel (Asst Caption Head), Ariana Rios, Aidan Firchow, Alivin Martinez, Jonathon Zimny, Jaime Ochoa (Consultant), Thomas Vastine, Mac Guajardo, Jake Archibeque, Bailey Pruitt, Sammie Muckleroy, Jose Coronado, Noe Izaguirre, Ryan Townsend, Andrew Long, Tyler Dahl, Mark Sayler, Gage Beasley, Blake Roberson, Amanda Hunt, London Rodriguez, Ben Vasko (Consultant), Jake Waldrop Percussion
Taha Ahmed (Supervisor), Aundray Edwards (Battery Coordinator), Dominique “Chochy” Lousteau III (Front Ensemble Coordinator), Will Abraamyan, TJ Goss, Shane Roderick, Ryan Zeutzius, Chap Obregon, Anthony Rodriguez, Jordan Masters, Sammi Rogers, Gabe Sanchez, Maggie Thibodeaux
Audio
Rosa Westfall (Supervisor), Tanner Leonardo (Asst Sound Designer, A2), Cole O'Malley, Tyler Hanson, Briggs Sharples (Systems Designers), Chaz Bay, Ainsley Jones (Intern), Michael Wasilisin (Intern) Color Guard
Brandy DuBose (Supervisor), Ashley Schmit (Caption Manager), Jaycee Wilson, Lauren Owen, Jordan Casey (Choreographers), Alex Bolender, Haley Hofmann, Mackenzie O'Toole, Emily Zabriskie, Maria Bongiorno, Adam Selby, David Roybal Visual
Trevor Stojanovich (Caption Head), Alex Wallace (Asst Caption Head), Justin Mons, Josh Davis, Corey Castillo, Aaron Talabucon, Harrison Toma, Katie Zheng, Brandon Wallace, Ansley Scott, Kelly Cohorst, Alex Ruemmler, Alvina Zhang, Elijah Figueroa, Kelsey Mitchell, Reanna Zoellers, Josiah Williams, Lizz Alonzo, Shay Kim Administration
Michelle Ciriello (Assistant Corps Director), Pablo Furukawa (Tour Director), Chris Prinster (Corps Manager)
DCI Judging “By the
DCI Judging “By the Numbers”
THE PROCESS of selecting a “winner” from among the world’s most elite and exclusive marching music ensembles is not an easy task. Just ask any of the more than 120 highly-qualified professionals who comprise the DCI judging team in a given season. What might seem obvious on the surface may be masked by the complexity of Drum Corps International’s judging system which takes into account an entire process combining the creativity of a corps’ program and the outstanding performers who bring the show to life. Drum corps competition demands excellence from performers and adjudicators alike. With the long-held philosophy that any corps can win a show on any given night, the judges’ training and experience ensure that competitive decisions are based on the performances they observe and not on a corps’ reputation or past performances.
Individual judges evaluate three separate visual captions and three separate music captions: Visual Analysis, Visual Proficiency, Color Guard, Music Analysis, Brass, and Percussion. In addition, two judges cover General Effect, one with a Visual background, the other with expertise in Music. • Fans should note that DCI member corps create the judging system. Instructors and designers meet at regular intervals to present their views about how the system should be revised, interpreted, and refined. This is the origin of the current adjudication philosophy. • The approach is further developed and delivered as a curriculum to the judges, who in turn put the system into practice during the competitive season. • While judges make individual determinations of placement and score, they do so with a significant amount of knowledge about how the system works and with the support of various tools to help make an informed and informative judgment.
JUDGES
Caption Judge Hometown
Chief Judge Jim Sturgeon Las Vegas, NV
Contest Coordinator Tony DiCarlo
General Effect 1 Damon Padilla Gainesville, GA
General Effect 2 Mark Hoskins Marietta, GA
Visual Proficiency Tom Slaughter New Port Richey, FL
Visual Analysis Jim Sturgeon Las Vegas, NV
Color Guard Shirl Chumley Aurora, CO
Music Brass Ronnie Rios Harlingen, TX
Music Analysis Darrin Davis Tulsa, OK
Music Field Percussion Jeff Brooks Manassas, VA
Music Field Percussion (trial judge) Casey Brohard San Jose, CA
INTRODUCING OUR ANNOUNCER - Ryan Bigley
Ryan Bigley is the PA Announcer for this year’s Corps Encore and Drums Along the Rockies. He is an alumnus of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, having marched trumpet in 2004 and 2005. He also marched mellophone with the Blue Knights Winter Brass Ensemble from 2005-2007.
After starting teaching in 2008, Ryan got the itch to announce professionally after being asked to announce for a basketball game at his school. He then went on to announce athletics for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO. While there, he also announced baseball for the Grand Junction Rockies (Colorado Rockies minor league affiliate), and the annual NJCAA JUCO World Series tournament, announcing the National Championship games in 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Currently, Ryan works for the Colorado Rockies as a super-utility for RockiesVision, and is the main Public Address Announcer for the Northern Colorado Hailstorm and Rain soccer teams, as well as athletics for MSU-Denver, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, Rocky Mountain Color Guard Association (RMCGA), and the annual Estes Park International Tattoo. Ryan lives in Denver with his wife Lauren and their dog, Dante
Would like to thank the following people for their hard world volunteering for Corps Encore this year!
Ken Adams
Ryan Bigley
Christina Bruckman
Kyle Fifield
Denica Fifield
Heather Fifield
Kyra Fifield
Denney Fifield
Lu Garcia
Doug Kelley
Mikala Mortensen
Cameron Payne
Boston Crusaders
BOOM
2025 REPERTOIRE
The Kingdom by Tigran Hamasyan
Red, White and Black Worlds by Tigran Hamasyan
Whatchamacallit by Esquivel
Malambo No. 1
By Yma Sumac
The Commuter by Les Baxter
Shooting Star by Les Baxter
Once Upon Another Time by Sara Bareilles
No Time for Caution by Hans Zimmer
Molecular by Ryan George, Colin McNutt, Iain Moyer, Mike Zellers
Founded in 1940 as the Most Precious Blood Crusaders and later separating from the church parish that sponsored the group, the corps became the Hyde Park Crusaders and later the Boston Crusaders as it established itself as a national powerhouse. A charter member of DCI in the 1970s, it would not be until 1999 that Boston skyrocketed into the World Championship Finals. The corps has retained its spot among DCI’s elite Top 12 ever since. 2025 marks the organization's milestone 85th anniversary of continuous operations and programming.
STAFF
CEO/Executive Director
Chris Holland
Drum Majors
Wes Booker, Joe Zishka, Maddie Wielinga
Design
Keith Potter (Artistic Director), Michael Townsend (Design & Artistic Lead, Lead Choreographer, Guard Caption Head), Colin McNutt (Director of Percussion), Thom Hannum (Senior Advisor), Ryan George (Composer & Arranger), Leon May (Drill Designer), Heather Graham (Color Guard Caption Manager, Writer & Administrator), Gino Cipriani (Brass Caption Head), Iain Moyer (Front Ensemble Arranger), Michael Zellers (Electronics Designer)
Brass
Gino Cipriani (Caption Head), Jarrett Lipman (Caption Manager), Steve Bentley, Evan Berry, Mark Nichols, Jon Virtue, James Crowley, Michael Terry, Sam DiMatteo, Josh Muñoz, Bethany Smith
Percussion
Colin McNutt (Director), Alex Beltran (Battery Manager), Zach Schlicher, Andrew Ricketts, Brian Perez, Daniel Gutiérrez, Jarod Sullivan, Kelly Murray, Andrew Macleay, Davis Matheney, Cisco Hance, TJ Choquette, Brian Spencer, Iain Moyer (Front Ensemble Director), Jason Ihnat (Front Ensemble Coordinator), Taylor Yozwiak (Front Ensemble Manager), Jim Ancona (Advisor), Ian Hale, Matt Albano, Tevis Tucker, Jay Rodriguez, Nick McConnaughey, Joe Tremper
Michael Townsend (Lead Designer & Choreographer, Director), Heather Graham (Caption Manager, Writer & Administrator), Aaron Gantt, Michael Maselli, Guillermo Cisneros, Joseph Danforth, Anthony Tapia
Visual
Aaron Bailey (Caption Head), Lin Daffron (Dance & Movement), Jennifer Hinshaw (Choreo & Movement), Johnny Escalante (Choreo & Movement), Justin Kline, Chris Martin, Akira Torrijos, Peter Bates, Patrick Cheney, Laura Vokey, Garrett Sitko, Hugh Alexander, Tim Handley
Administration
Donna Monte (CFO), Jack Kaplan (Tour Dir, Dir of Membership), Aaron Bailey (Staff Coord), Howard Weinstein (Leadership Coach), Cheryl Rogers (Support Staff Coord), Hailey Francoeur (Tour Ops Mgr), Jacob Ford (Prod Ops Mgr), Jose Eslava (Merch), Alexia Beasley, Ryleigh Britton, Stephanie Aarons-Dennison, Marymason McWhorter, Hunter Britton, Sean Kelley, Mark Larrivee, Noah Gawarecki, Abby Reynolds, Marielle Chrupcala, Liana Gao, Dustin Garza, Jess Hayhurst, Rob Hardy (Lead Chef), Bryan McDonald (Chef), Kate Johnson (Costuming)
Medical
Vivien Tucker MD, Michael Stevens PA-C, Chip Vokey RN, Rick Vale RT, Brian Hebbard ATC, Nick Coyle AT, Jenni Johnson, Jaden Overbeck, Kristin Raney RN, Isabelle Agapito
Media
Julia Cardillo (Supervisor), Liset Garcia, Tony McCrackin (Photographers), Ross Beckman, Max Massaglia, Olivia Materetsky (Videographers)
Seattle Cascades
Seattle, WA • seattlecascades.org
Primary 2025 REPERTOIRE
Void by Tim Mitchell Yellow by Coldplay
Butterfly by BTS
Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez
Usseewa by Ado
Shikabane by Kikuo
Million Miles Away by Kylie McNeill from Belle
My Universe by Coldplay/BTS
Founded in 1966, Seattle Cascades is the oldest continuously active drum corps from the Pacific Northwest. Community service, inclusiveness, diversity and personal responsibility serve as core tenets of the organization’s educational program. The Cascades won the DCI Division III World Championship in 2000, and then doubled its size for competition the next season. In 2002, they became the first Pacific Northwest corps to become a World Class Finalist.
STAFF
Executive Director
Michael Leone
Corps Director
Devin Bretz
Drum Majors
Zoe Arambul, Madison Landis
Design
Brian Ward, Kurt Jull, Jeff Chambers, Tim Mitchel, Nick Benson, Eric Yahrmarkt, Jeffery Caponi
Brass
Loren Gamarra, Joseph Riordan, Braden Kilpatrick, Jake Greer, Elijah Gohl, John Mathews, Thomas Wheeler, Kelli Duncan, Colin Taylor, Don Newman, Mason Ledbetter
Percussion
Micah Brusse (Caption Supervisor), Chandler Larsen (Battery Co-Caption Head), Layne Wellman (Battery Co-Caption Head), Zach Shaw (Front Ensemble Coordinator), Matt Huffman, Jennifer Martinez Guidel, Jacob Kendrick, Derek Bueffel, Paul Zacarias, Jessi Vaughan, Ryan Burnett, Chris Trlak, Colin Tastet, Aaron Blevins, Jason McIntyre, Jeremy Jacobs
Audio
Tim Mitchell (Designer, Supervisor), Zach Mullins, Will Bass, Ryan Lynn, Jeremy Jacobs, Brittney Hamrick, Alex Patterson
Color Guard
Anthony Riederer (Caption Supervisor), Tori Farias (Co-Caption Head), Emily Kaman (Co-Caption Head), Zach Dye, Edward Camarena, Brooke Windsor, Ryson Casupang, Henry Price, Sarah Smith, Lucy Ireland, Tatiana Higgins, McKenzie Henderson, Beth Murray-Mirassou
Visual
Matt Barnes (Caption Supervisor), Evan Chivers (Caption Head), Megan Sellman (Movement Coordinator), Andrew Askew, Clayton Brester, Harrison Case, Kat Conway, Mitch DeGrace, Kyle Kostelecky, Ethan Musselman, Kira Pattinson, Morgan Peters, Ray Swanick, Emma Tatum, Jon Tebbe, Colby Vasquez
Administration
Anthony Barei (Tour Director), Michael Lewis (Tour Manager), Jeremy Bennet (Operations Manager), Maria White (Lead Chef), Amber Kunz (Assistant Chef), Chris "Tucker" Crebs (Health & Wellness Lead), Susan Cowan (Mental Health Specialist), Byron Hall (Fitness Lead), Kristine Leone (Housing Coordinator), Courtney Severns (Volunteer Coordinator), Jane Pattinson (Tour Assistant)
The Battalion
T2025 REPERTOIRE Commencement by Johnny Richards
The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
Artemis and Apollo by Johnny Richards
Aspect by Johnny Richards
he Battalion is Utah’s own drum and bugle corps, proudly representing the state on the national stage. Founded in 2014, the corps launched its first competitive tour in 2016. In 2022, The Battalion made its debut at the DCI World Championships in Indiana, and in 2024, the corps reached a major milestone, earning recognition as DCI’s Most Improved Open Class Corps and advancing to the World Championship Semifinals for the first time.
STAFF
Director
Tyler Hess
Drum Majors
Linda Segura, Amaury Covington, David Harrison, Nathan Steinhaus Design
Brian Ellis (Artistic Director/Program Coordinator), Tim Snyder (Brass Arranger), Mitchel Barnard (Percussion Arranger), Robbie Halpner (Sound Design), Jaasiel Wilson (Lead Visual Designer), Lindsey Schueller (Drill Designer) Brass
Sam Tiemeyer (Caption Head), Tom Lizotte (Consultant), Nathan Bos, Matt Collins, Brian Dong, Jason Kehr, Katherine May, David Mitchell, Aaron O'Bar, Brooklyn Peterson, Jae Richard, Kaleb Rosenau, Bret Siebert Percussion
Michael Williams (Caption Head), Nick Jackson (Battery Coordinator), Julian Davidson (Front Ensemble Coordinator), Chris Temple (Percussion Coordinator), Bobby Bonceau, Leo Bergin IV, Evan Childre, Patrick Dalton II, LC Heil, Jake Kneival, Katie Kilwein, Dylan Kroha, Anthony Lederhos, Javier Lopez, Bailey Persson, Adrian Rosales, Andrew Sherman, Naralle Stewart, Evan Turner
Color Guard
Jeremy Hewgley (Caption Head), Michelle Clements (Consultant), Joey Peck (Consultant), Kara Gibbons (Choreographer), Trey Kirris (Choreographer), Aaron Lucas (Choreographer), Braeden Watkins (Choreographer), Josh Dennis, Ella Giehapp, Liz Neves, Marijka Ray, Maddi Rogers, Clarisa Stale Visual
Mike Grimes (Caption Head), Shalamar Georgia-Clark (Advisor), Morgan Anderson, Raysel Hansen, Casey Lamb, Jeremy Loui, Jessica Martinez, Maracos Moreira, Connor Pack, Luke Petrowski, Walter Rosio, Ben Taylor, Kaelinn Ward, Tannor Woodard Administration
Caroldean Neves, Parker Brown, AJ Puev, Ashlyn Pixler, Braden McMillan, Cora Jackson, Dante Noble, DeVante Land, Donny Helvey, Emily Dudek, Hide Zeigler, Karen Pixler, Lisa Horton, Reese Davis, Ryan Brown
Impulse
Buena Park, CA • impulseyoutharts.org
Look Up
2025 REPERTOIRE
Movement 1: A Sliver of Golden Fire
The Dark Knight by Hans Zimmer
Movement 2: Into the Blue Dusk
Romantic Flight (from How to Train Your Dragon) by James Powell
Movement 3: The Alien Question?
Focus Hiccup (from How to Train Your Dragon) by James Powell
Movement 4: Look Up
Married Life (from Up) by Michael Giacchino.
End Credits (from How to Train Your Dragon) by James Powell
STAFF
Corps Director
Peter Connell
Drum Majors
Lana Zeilinger, Neo Guillory, Aki Araki
Design
Peter Connell (Visual Designer, Brass Book), Michael Patton (Choreographer, Design Consultation), Timothy Lee (Battery Book), James Catheral (Front Ensemble Book)
Brass
Joshua Williams (Caption Head), Troy Sargent, Justin Mitnik, Joe Harris, Preston Shepherd
Percussion
Timothy Lee (Battery Caption Head), Kaleb Roney (Battery Caption Head), Scott Suyama (Front Ensemble Caption Head), Chris Estrada (Audio Caption Head), Cole Wheeler, Rene Lupercio, Adrian Lopez, Isabell Liao, Sam Figuerora, Elias Villalobos, Demetri McLean, Victor Pereira, Sean Kohler, Matt Uhrich, Jimmie Jenkins
Color Guard
Michael Patton (Caption Head), Israel Gutierrez, Cristian Rodriguez, Tatiana Alcaraz, Xochi Villalobos
Visual
Gerardo "Tito" Estrada (Caption Head), Melvin Parada, Houston Morgan
First performing in 1999, the Impulse Youth Arts Organization was established with the purpose to bring fun and competitive productions to audiences throughout the world. The Southern Californiabased drum corps was crowned the DCI Division III World Champion in 2006. Dedicated to growing young people into future leaders through the arts, the organization is committed to training performers to develop the skills needed to entertain audiences and achieve new levels of competitive excellence.
Would like to thank our sponsors for supporting our ensembles and events!
