The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps is a Division I drum and bugle corps based in Concord, California and founded in 1957 as a Drum and Bell corps, and is a member corps of Drum Corps International. The Blue Devils (sometimes just "the Devils", "Devs" or "BD") are the most successful corps of the DCI era, with a total of eleven world champion titles to their name over the four decades of DCI's existence. At their first DCI finals appearance in 1973, the Blue Devils placed twenty fourth, advancing the next year to ninth and then to third in 1975. In 1976 they won their first DCI title and since have never placed out of the top five corps at finals, the only corps to lay claim to this amazing streak. The Blue Devils have also won more brass, drum, guard, and marching titles than any other drum corps. (They are currently tied with Santa Clara Vanguard in most drum titles).
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| Location | Concord, CA |
|---|---|
| Division | Division I |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Director | David Gibbs |
| Championship titles | 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003 |
The Blue Devils have been crowned DCI Champions eleven times, in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2003. In addition, they have placed second in finals six times (1981, 1983, 1984, 2001, 2002, and 2004) and third eight times (1975, 1978, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2000, and 2006).
The Devils have long stuck to jazz and Latin repertoires, including their famous use of Buddy Rich's Channel One Suite (at the time of its performance in 1976, the longest single piece ever performed in the DCI circuit), as well as such notable repertoires as the music of Chick Corea and Chuck Mangione. As a result of their musical style choices, the Devils are the corps most associated with jazz. The Blue Devils percussion is also one of the best in the activity and has recently been highlighted with the creation of BD Entertainment, a professional percussion ensemble performing at sports, corporate, as well as other venues. BD Entertainment recently performed at the 2005 NBA All-Star game. Their soprano line is well-known to have some of the best and most exciting "screamers" in all of DCI. As such, a high note trumpet solo can be found in almost every show.
In January 2006, the corps debuted BlueView, a video podcast that documents the months preceding the summer competitive season as well as the summer competitive tour. BlueView has been folded into Blue Devils new audio/video media archive page entitled MediaBox'.
In 2007 the corps celebrates its 50th anniversary with a production entitled Winged Victory. The repertoire includes Pegasus - a Blue Devils classic from its 1982 championship-winning show, The Ascension, and Heaven. A sneak peek of the music was given in a concert at Concord Pavilion on May 6, 2007.
Management & Mission
BD Performing Arts is the corporate entitiy that manages the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps (also known as the Blue Devils A-Corps). Along with the A-Corps, BD Performing Arts supports the B-Corps, the C-Corps, the Blue Devils Winter Guard program, the Diablo Wind Symphony, and BD Entertainment. The Executive Director of BD Performing Arts is David Gibbs. The Board of Directors of BD Performing Arts are:
- Todd Tanji - President, Alumnus
- Donna Batchelor - Vice President
- Kit Rodgers - Chief Financial Officer
- Carole Henderson - Secretary
- Robert Brown, Alumnus
- Jeff DeMello, Alumnus, Past President
- Doug Peterson, Alumnus
- Brian Ripley
- Brandon Wilson, Alumnus
- Mundy Viar
The Mission of the BD Performing Arts organization is as follows:
Music and the performing arts connect youth with their culture through a common language crossing generational, social, and racial barriers. The activities that a young person pursues influences the type of person he or she becomes. The experience that comes with participation in a performing arts organization builds discipline, character, pride, and self-confidence at a crucial age and forms the springboard to even greater achievements in adulthood.
BD Performing Arts programs permanently enrich the lives of young people through a commitment to youth development and performance excellence while providing enjoyment for our local community and audiences worldwide.
Trivia
- The Blue Devils have used a vocal influence in every show since 2003.
| Year | Show Title | Vocal |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Phenomeneon Of Cool" | Predetermined collective scat |
| 2004 | "The SummerTrain Blues MIX" | Predetermined collective scat |
| 2005 | "Dance Derby Of The Century" | Amplified announcement of the status of the "dance competition" |
| 2006 | "The Godfather Part BLUE" | Moments of scatter drill and scatter speak, as well as repeated chants of "Sleep with the fishes" and "Vito". Also, the introduction of one of the show's movements begins with a front ensemble member announcing via microphone "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse". |
- The Blue Devils "F-Tuning" warm-up can be heard briefly in the background in the film American Pie Presents: Band Camp.
See Also
External links
- Blue Devils homepage
- Blue Devils Repertoires at Corpsreps
- Vic Firth's Blue Devils Feature
- Blue Devils entry at DrumCorpsWiki.com
- Drum Corps International
Template:Drum Corps International Division I corps
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