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Talk show host Jim Rome sent a tweet on New Year's Day in which he called marching band members 'dorks'. The tweet was heavily criticised, and Rome apologised for 'being out of line'.

Rome tweeted: "Is there anyone not in a marching band who thinks those dorks running around with their instruments are cool?". Band members reacted by posting loads of tweets with the hashtag @MarchOnRome. One day later the American sports radio talk show host from CBS Sports Radio deleted the tweet and made apologies: "Band nation - I hear you. I was out of line. I apologize. I do not condone bullying of any kind and that was not my intent."

It is not the first time that marching bands are criticised by sports media. Two months ago sports columnist Billy Reed wondered why "today’s marching bands look much as they did when Red Grange was running wild for Illinois in the 1920s."

On the last day of the year, the editorial team of the DCE website has created a list of the most popular news items of 2014. What news item were the most popular in 2014? The News Top 50 of 2014 is a great way to look back at 2014 and reminiscence about the most memorable things that have happened over the past year.

50. Film your drum corps show with a drone (1124 views)
3 June 2014

Drones are often associated with warfare, espionage and other not very friendly uses. But a company from Illinois shows a very nice use for drones: filming a drum corps show. Read more -->


49. Bluecoats instructor joins European X (1132 views)
2 October 2014

The indoor percussion ensemble European X found Tom Gasparrini willing to lead the ensemble from this year. Under Gasparrini's guidance, the drumline is working towards their participation in Winter Guard International in 2016.  Read more -->


48. Starriders take fan bus to the DCE European Championships (1134 views)
27 March 2014

For years, some Dutch corps have brought along a solid crowd of supporters to the DCE European Championships. This year, the German corps Starriders is also taking this initiative. If enough fans sign up, an extra bus will drive from Bad Münder to Kerkrade. Read more -->


47. DCUK announces 2014 show entries (1137 views)
6 May 2014

Drum Corps United Kingdom has revealed the show entries for the 2014 contests. All shows are well attended. The British drum corps season starts in Bradford on 15th June. Read more -->


46. IPE cancels Irish and French contests (1140 views)
11 January 2014

Indoor Percussion Europe has cancelled the contests in Ireland and France. The contest in Sweden and of course the IPE European Championships will go ahead, with participants from no less than eight European countries. Read more -->


45. Changing of the baton after 58 years (1147 views)
2 April 2014

Band Director of 58 years standing Hubert Magee has announced his retirement from the position as Band Director of Mullingar Town Band. His daughter Kim, who has been assistant director and field commander of the band's show corps Celtic Crusaders for a number of years now, has been appointed Band Director of Mullingar Town Band. Read more -->


44. Mayflower beats Dutch competition at WGI Regional (1150 views)
3 March 2014

Mayflower from Billericay in England won the Independent Open Class of the Dutch WGI Regional Saturday. In Almere - The Netherlands, the guard beat The Pride by almost two points.  Read more -->


43. New DCE certified show in Germany this year (1169 views)
31 January 2014

Heartliner are planning to host a Drum Corps Show in Ludwigshafen. Starting in 2014, it will be a permanent show in the European Music Games. Read more -->


42. Five myths about taking part in the DCE European Championships (1169 views)
11 November 2014

Drum Corps Europe receives a lot of questions in regard to participating in the DCE European Championships. It seems there are several myths about this. In this article, we will bust five of these myths. Read more -->


41. Report: 2014 DCE Judges College in Belgium (1176 views)
23 May 2014

"Friday 16th May provided my first DCE Judges College. Travelling from London – Brussels, I was met by Mark and Helen Bassett who had kindly agreed to collect me from the airport and transport me to the hotel headquarters." A report by Barry Davis. Read more -->


40. CEO of Field Band Foundation Retha Cilliers has passed away (1185 views)
12 February 2014

The Executive Director of the South African Field Band Foundation, Retha Cilliers, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 57. She was the driving force behind the organisation that tries to give disadvantaged young people from show bands a chance at a better life. Read more -->


39. DCE judging team at the Championships in Indonesia (1187 views)
5 January 2014

At the end of December, the judging team of Drum Corps Europe judged the Championships in Indonesia. Five European and five Asian DCE judges judged the 22 participants in the Grand Prix Marching Band competition. DCE also held a well-attended clinic for the groups. Read more -->


38. Get your tickets for DCE even sooner (1190 views)
14 April 2014

On 1st May, the ticket sales for the DCE European Championships will start again. Don’t want to wait that long? Get a VIP Membership and make sure that you get your tickets before the start of the official ticket sales. Read more -->


37. Judge saves Finals day for snare drummer Carolina Crown (1198 views)
13 August 2014

For a little while, it looked like a disaster scene was happening for the snare drummer Ryan Hall of Carolina Crown when his instrument broke off and fell to the ground during the DCI Finals. Percussion judge Allan Kristensen saved the day for the drummer. Read more -->


36. Percussion and winter guard going strong in Ireland (1202 views)
19 February 2014

The IMBA Winterguard and Indoor Percussion Championships were held in the National basketball arena in Tallaght last Saturday. There were seven participants in all catagories, and all entrants are affiliated to IMBA bands that compete on the DCE circuit. Read more -->


35. Drumcorps.org.uk Hot News Top 5 from March 2014 (1204 views)
21 April 2014

Every month, we will be giving you an overview of the most watched drum corps news of the past month. Here is the list of the most popular news items from March 2014, including the Corps Page Top 5. Read more -->


34. Nine nationalities in European indoor percussion competition (1206 views)
10 February 2014

No less than nine European countries are represented in the competition of Indoor Percussion Europe this year. The organisation has announced that 21 drumlines will compete. The season details have been published. Read more -->


33. Mosson opts out of DCE Championships (1211 views)
10 March 2014

Mosson Drum & Bugle Corps has unfortunately opted out of the DCE European Championships. The Italian corps announced that, due to internal problems, it has been forced to make this painful decision. Read more -->


32. Marching Bands of Europe disappeared (1225 views)
25 March 2014

Their site has long been off the air, and the latest update on Facebook is more than two years old. It looks like that the platform Marching Bands of Europe is no longer in existence. Read more -->


31. Cadence 2014 announce summer programme ‘Nightscapes’ (1241 views)
26 January 2014

Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps have announced their summer 2014 programme entitled 'Nightscapes'. Thew corps will take the audience through the night in the big city. Read more -->


30. DCUK welcomes Dutch corps Juliana to Championships (1250 views)
24 May 2014

Juliana Drum & Bugle Corps from Middelburg, The Netherlands will be travelling to the United Kingdom to compete at the DCUK Championships in the Premier (Open) Class. The Corps will arrive on Thursday September 18th and will staying in Wilmslow at the Wilmslow Phoenix Sports Club. Read more -->


29. Kidsgrove Scouts in the lead after Prelims (1263 views)
27 September 2014

It’s D(CE) Day and how! The tension in the Parkstad Limburg Stadium is unprecedented, after the thrilling result of the Prelims. The top three are only two-tenths away from each other, with Kidsgrove Scouts as the leader for now.  Read more -->


28. This Saturday biggest DCN contest of the season (1292 views)
24 June 2014

The programme for the Drum Corps Netherlands contest in Huizen, this Saturday, is online. Sixteen corps will travel to sports park De Wolfskamer for a major European contest. Read more -->


27. New drum major for Juliana: Shana Beernaert (1313 views)
5 March 2014

In 2014, Juliana is being led by a new drum major. This season, Shana Beernaert will succeed Youri Debaere, who was on the podium in 2013. Read more -->


26. Kidsgrove Scouts are WGUK Open Class Champions (1313 views)
31 March 2014

The Kidsgrove Scouts are the new WGUK Champions. Last Saturday, the debuting guard stayed ahead of its biggest competitor, Mayflower at the 2014 WGUK Championships in Stoke on Trent. Read more -->


25. World record attempt longest fanfare line at DCUK show (1315 views)
9 January 2014

Thurrock Marching Brass in conjunction with the Marching Band Activity United Kingdom Facebook Page will be attempting a new world record for the longest fanfare line in history at the DCUK show on Sunday 7th September 2014. Read more -->


24. Jubal in Wonderland: new show is called ‘2Touch’ (1333 views)
2 January 2014

The 2014 show of Jubal Drum & Bugle Corps is called '2Touch'. The corps takes its audience to Wonderland, a place where dreams come true and where miracles actually happen. Read more -->


23. GOT Motion, MDC and Unik Star Concert are IPE champions (1370 views)
8 April 2014

This year’s European indoor percussion titles go to Sweden, Austria and France. GOT Motion won the title at the IPE European Championships 2014 in Wevelgem on Sunday. Newcomers MDC Drumline Unik Star Concert won the A Class and Concert Class respectively. Read more -->


22. DCE releases DCE Competition Manual 10.0 (1387 views)
25 February 2014

Drum Corps Europe has released the DCE Competition Manual 10.0. The manual will be the basis of the European Music Games 2014. Here is an overview of the changes compared to version 9.2. Read more -->


21. DCUK announces member corps in 2014 (1438 views)
14 March 2014

Drum Corps United Kingdom has announced the corps that have registered so far for the 2014 season. At least fourteen corps will corps will participate this summer. Read more -->


20. DCE publishes Premier Class Prelims schedule (1440 views)
22 September 2014

The order of performances for the Premier Class Prelims next Saturday has been published, based on this season's results at the European Music Games. The list is as follows. Read more -->


19. DCN announces its list of participants for 2014 (1478 views)
15 March 2014

Drum Corps Netherlands will have a well-filled line-up this season. The Dutch drum corps organisation is welcoming sixteen corps to the 2014 competition. Read more -->


18. Sequel of ‘Drumline’ movie in the making (1483 views)
7 February 2014

The American cabler VH1 has given the green light to a TV movie follow-up to ‘Drumline’ (2002), the network announced. The sequel will have a female lead character. Read more -->


17. The Kidsgrove Scouts will have a maximum of 128 members in 2015 (1499 views)
6 November 2014

The Kidsgrove Scouts have decided to increase the number of marching positions available for the 2015 corps. The maximum is 128 members. Read more -->


16. Drumcorps.org.uk Hot News Top 5 from December 2013 (1514 views)
23 January 2014

Every month, we will be giving you an overview of the most watched drum corps news of the past month. Here is the list of the most popular news items from December 2013, including the Corps Page Top 5. Read more -->


15. Secutores members march DCI this summer (1551 views)
17 April 2014

Three members of Besana Secutores will be marching in a DCI corps this summer. All three will enter the American contest fields in a top 12 corps. Read more -->


14. Kidsgrove Scouts return to DCA in 2015 (1575 views)
26 February 2014

The Kidsgrove Scouts will be returning to Drum Corps Associates in 2015. The corps will compete in regionals and the DCA Finals in Rochester - New York. It will be their third tour since 2010. Read more -->


13. Marching Vikings transform to drum and bugle corps (1613 views)
7 January 2014

Tallaght Youth Band Marching Vikings become ’The Vikings' on the competition field. The name change is also part of a larger transformation of the organisation as this year sees the Vikings transform from brass and reed to a drum & bugle corps. Read more -->


12. Kidsgrove Scouts are closing in on The Company (1613 views)
9 September 2014

The Kidsgrove Scouts reduced the points difference with The Company at the DCUK contest in Thurrock on Sunday. In the hunt for the 80 points, the difference in score between the two is now only 0.85 points.  Read more -->


11. DCE judge René Conway passes away (1687 views)
19 February 2014

René Conway, DCE judge in Asia, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 50. He was a judge for the Asian judges panel. Read more -->


10. The Vikings stay on top in Ireland (1697 views)
26 August 2014

The third contest of the Irish Marching Bands Association on Sunday in Clonmel, was once again won by The Vikings. The corps from Tallaght therefore remains unbeaten this season. Many visitors travelled to the contest in Clonmel, and the corps performed to a packed stand. Read more -->


9. Live Fan Network webcast from Atlanta (1703 views)
24 July 2014

This Saturday, the DCI Fan Network will webcast live from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. If you can't make it to the stadium for the DCI Southeastern Championship, watch as all 22 of DCI's World Class drum corps compete head-to-head for the final time this summer before the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis. Read more -->


8. WGUK announces prelimenary plans for 2015 (1721 views)
27 July 2014

Following the recent WGUK Board Meeting, Winter Guard United Kingdom has announced some preliminary plans for the 2015 season. The 2015 season will include a new class and a WGI Regional. Read more -->


7. The hornline of the Kidsgrove Scouts is growing enormously (1925 views)
29 October 2014

In 2015, the Kidsgrove Scouts will have a very large hornline. At the rehearsal last weekend there were more than 50 members present, and the number still seems to be growing. Read more -->


6. Corps home Heartliner not useable anymore after explosion (1954 views)
24 October 2014

As a result of construction works on a BASF gas pipe, a massive explosion with fatal consequences took place immediately next to the corps home of the German corps Heartliner. According to the media, a construction worker lost his life and about 30 people were hurt, some of them severely. Read more -->


5. DCE publishes corps list for European Championships 2015 (2121 views)
14 December 2014

The DCE European Championships can count on an impressive list of participants next year. Alongside familiar names, Drum Corps Europe will also welcome a number of new participants in 2015. Read more -->


4. The Company are European champions (2185 views)
28 September 2014

After a thrilling final, The Company are the European champions. Although the British corps was behind Jubal and Kidsgrove Scouts in the Prelims, in the evening it overtook its competitors. With 89.95 points, the corps won the title. Read more -->


3. TODAY IS D(CE) DAY! (2271 views)
27 September 2014

It is Saturday the 27th of September: D(CE) Day! The day that all of drum corps loving Europe looks forward to. The day of the DCE European Championships in the Parkstad Limburg Stadium. Don’t have a ticket? Come over anyway, because you do not want to miss this! Read more -->


2. Blue Devils to form ‘international corps’ for European trip 2015 (3460 views)
3 July 2014

The Blue Devils are looking for talented musicians and dancers to travel to Europe in 2015. This will be a separate performing ensemble from the Blue Devils A Corps. Read more -->


1. Live webcast of the DCE European Championships (7248 views)
25 September 2014

DCE will broadcast this year's Championships live on the internet. Those who cannot come to Kerkrade have the possibility to watch the event directly from a computer, tablet or smartphone. Read more -->

The Heartliner may be taking a year off from the drum corps contest fields, that does not mean that the corps from Ludwigshafen - Germany is out of action. In 2015, a new percussion group called Heartliner Percussion Ludwigshafen is operating within the association.

The percussion group has 24 members and is aiming to raise its profile in the area and to attract new members. They will not only perform but also get involved in the competition. On 18th October 2015, the group is entering the 'Landesmeisterschaft für Musikzüge'.

The theme of the show is 'Rise & Fall'. The fall of the Berlin Wall is 25 years ago, and the Heartliner will portray the construction, presence and destruction of the Wall in three musical chapters. As well as the team on the field, the group also has a front ensemble including electronic instruments.

SoundSport, a rapidly growing series of worldwide competitive and exhibition music ensemble performance opportunities produced by Drum Corps International has announced SoundSport Athlone Ireland. The instrumental music talent showcase will feature performances by a variety of music ensembles from all over Ireland.

One of the performers is Ravens Drum & Bugle Corps. The event will take place on Friday 20th March at Athlone’s historic castle along the banks of the River Shannon. "We couldn’t ask for a more spectacular venue to host a SoundSport event," said DCI Senior Director of Business Development John DeNovi. "Athlone Castle will act as a dramatic backdrop for the performers and audience alike.”

SoundSport Athlone is scheduled to start at 19.00 hours and will feature the SoundSport competition and conclude with an officially-sanctioned DrumLine Battle between the Athlone Ravens and The Rhythm Corporation from Dublin. Representatives from Drum Corps International, including DCI executive director and CEO Dan Acheson, will travel from the United States to judge this inaugural event. On 21st March, another European SoundSport event is held in Bristol.

Several DCE judges are now in Indonesia where they judge the Grand Prix Marching Band. 27 bands enter this big event in Jakarta.

Judges from Europe who will judge at the GPMB are Edwin Beens, Maria Fenessy, Mathieu Meulenaere and Marco Harder. From Asia, several judges including Eric Awuy, Trevino, Junt Minalai, Nipatdh Kanchanahuta, Wil Bijl and Kasen Thipayametrakul join the judges panel.

Grand Prix Marching Band is a valued Licensed Partner of Drum Corps Europe. This year, the GPMB (from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th December) celebrates its 30th Annivesrary. Information about the event and organisation can be found at www.gpmb.or.id.

Synthesizers, voice amplification, samples. Drum corps fans keep discussing the decision of Drum Corps Associates to allow these things from next year.

Early this month, the American all-age organisation DCA decided to allow a number of forms of electronics on the contest fields. A decision that is applauded and reviled by the fans. On the forum of Drum Corps Planet, the discussion on this topic has already been read over 10,000 times and there are hundreds of posts.

Some of the fans think it’s about time that DCA takes this step. According to others, drum corps now definitely dead, and they are also talking about the huge investments that corps will now have to make in order to 'keep up' when it comes to electronic equipment. You can read the discussion here.

Six weeks after the explosion at the company BASF in Ludwigshafen, where the corps home of the Heartliner was severely damaged, the corps can start to move forward again. BASF has offered the Heartliner a temporary premises.

The renovation on and around the site of the corps home will take some time and until that work is done, the building cannot be used. The BASF housing company, along with the gas company Gascade that owns the gas line where the accident occurred, has made an empty kindergarten school available.

In the coming weeks, the Heartliner will use this temporary location on the Madrider Weg 7 in Ludwigshafen. “We would like to thank BASF and Gascade for their support,” said the Heartliner. The club also thanked Ms Klöckner in the Oppau neighbourhood for providing an abandoned warehouse where the corps has been able to store its equipment that is still useable.

Work on a gas line of the chemicals group BASF in Ludwigshafen caused a huge explosion at the end of October where one person died and dozens were wounded. The explosion took place next to the corps home of the Heartliner.

Mayflower will return to compete at the 2016 WGI World Championships in Dayton Ohio, in the Independent World Class. Mayflower will once again be a truly international guard with members from the UK, Europe and USA. American members will be expected to move to the UK by January 2016.

Barry Davis, Director of Mayflower commented, “We are very excited to be returning for our 8th trip to WGI.  It’s a huge organisational and financial commitment for us that is three years in the planning.  We will be an active member of our UK circuit and straight after the UK championships we will travel to Dayton and have a week of rehearsals and performances prior to competing in the preliminary competition. We love giving our members the opportunity to perform at Championships and we cannot wait to return and compete on the world stage.”

Michael Shapiro from the US will once again be designing the show. It will be his 15th season of writing for Mayflower. Details have been published here.

Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps has announced that they will be joining the Tama family for the 2015 season. The 2015 drum line will be performing on brand new marching snares, basses and tenors as part of their 'Castaway' production, and their journey to the Drum Corps Europe Championships in Kerkrade.

Through their existing partnership with Kanstul Musical Instruments, Tama marching percussion was the logical choice for the corps. After almost nine months of planning, discussions and negotiations the corps is finally in a position to share the news. The package will also include a full compliment of Hardcase equipment and brand new Evans drum heads.

Andy Sadaowski of Tama Headstock said: “Tama Drums and Headstock Distribution are proud to welcome Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps into its worldwide family of Tama Marching Percussion users, and furthermore the very first organisation here in the UK to endorse the Tama Marching Percussion range! We are exited that our range of marching drums will be showcased for the very first time in the UK by the Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps.
We look forward to charting your success over the following year and helping you to show the world why Tama really is the strongest name in drums”.

Ian Wright from DrumWight added: "DrumWright are proud and privileged to see the first of these excellent Tama marching drums come through to the UK to be used by the Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps, and we look forward to watching them grow with their wonderful new instruments. Tama is synonymous with quality and the Cadence Drum & Bugle Corps have the enviable yet deserved position of having both the first set in the UK and one of the finest set ups around. We would like to thank Jack Kanstul, Ken Hoshino and Tom Float from TAMA, Andy Sadaowski of Tama Headstock and Ian Wright from DrumWright Reading for their support and valued assistance during this period and we look forward to receiving our full line of Tama Marching Drums in the New Year."

Following the announcement of the DCI SoundSport, Bristol, England on 21st March 2015, registration for the event is now open via the Drum Corps Europe website. The first group has already announced their participation: the Blue Barons Mini Corps from Glasgow.

DCE secretary Marco Janssen said “We’re delighted that the Blue Barons have chosen to participate in the SoundSport, Bristol show. It’s a long way from Glasgow to Bristol and we really appreciate the Barons travelling that distance to take part. It gives fans in southern England a marvellous opportunity to see this legendary Scottish corps and we would love to see other former corps use SoundSport as a way of reforming.”

The Barons last appeared in DCUK during the 1980s and were British Drum Corps Champions in 1985. Their show is titled ‘Quintessence’ and refers to the four building blocks of the physical universe: earth, water, air and fire. The intangible fifth element, or ‘quintessence’ salutes the intrinsic character of the Blue Barons era of drum corps.

The registration fee for SoundSport Bristol is just £30. Further information on the SoundSport, Bristol, England show is available from DCE by emailing soundsport@drumcorpseurope.org. The registration form and SoundSport Bristol Information Package are available on www.drumcorpseurope.org/soundsport. The registration will close on Sunday 25th January 2015.

The Blue Barons

Opening with themes from ‘Brigadoon’, first performed in DCUK Finals by the Glasgow Blue Barons Drum & Bugle Corps in 1983, the music heralds the re-emergence of the Barons from the mists of time. The second piece, ‘Rainmaker’ by Earl Klugh, is a funky tune that flows hard like the Falls of the River Clyde. The smooth opening phrases of ‘Canto del Viento’ breathes Air into the show which ascends to create its own indoor weather storm. Fans favourite ‘Que Lastima’, from the Barons 1985 DCUK Championship winning show, heats things up and adds a little Latin Fire.

A ‘Quintissential’ medley of Barons tunes then develops with themes including ‘Topaz’. The design team comprises: Ricky Tomanek; John Barclay; Elaine McArdle; Neil Lockie; and Iain MacMillan. The mini-corps’ Director Greg Small commented, “this show is sure to be popular with ‘older’ friends from the 1980s and Barons alumni, but the design team were open-minded to contemporary design principles and see mini-corps in the UK developing as a modern and artistically credible activity.

Plans are underway for the Blue Barons Mini Corps to travel and perform at two events in the spring of 2015. Firstly, the ‘DCI Soundsport’ event in Bristol, on 21 March, then two weeks later at the WGUK Championships, Stoke, on 4 April. One further date to be confirmed soon is for our ‘hame-show’, in Glasgow. Greg Small said, “Bristol is a significant journey for this group but we know that the warmth of the welcome from our friends in that drum corps city will make it a real fun event.”

After five years, Kadoudal will not be fielding a corps in the European competition next year. But the French corps promises to come back in 2016.

It was important to have a break for the Kadodudal organisation Kadoudal, corps director Yvan Boscher from the Quiberon based junior corps explains. "We will work on our new show 'Samurai'. The competition remains a major objective but we also need to think about teaching young people and the future of Kadoudal."

According to the corps director, a break is necessary to reform for the future with a new generation of musicians. The corps is looking for instructors who can help teaching the kids. Anyone who is interested can send an email. "We were very pleased to have participated for five consecutive years at this wonderful event", Boscher says, referring to the DCE European Championships. "We will return!"

A Christmas present that is just a bit more personal and original: a DVD of the DCE European Championships 2014. Order now and receive the DVD before Christmas!

What could be more fun than reliving the DCE Championships in superior image and sound quality? Letting someone else experience this of course! You can order the DVD set of the Premier Class Finals, the Junior Class Finals or the Premier Class Prelims. If you place your order with us by 18th December, DCE guarantees that the DVDs will be delivered by the 24th of December (at European addresses).

With a DVD set price from 25 Euros and free shipping, the DVD sets of the DCE Championships are not only original but also an affordable gift! You can order from the DCE webshop.

The DCE European Championships can count on an impressive list of participants next year. Alongside familiar names, Drum Corps Europe will also welcome a number of new participants in 2015.

37th Kingswood from Bristol, Blue Diamonds from Nienhagen, Cadence from Surrey and Berkshire, and Revolution from Queensbury will be making their first trip to the Parkstad Limburg Stadium in Kerkrade - Netherlands next year to participate in the Premier Class of the European Championships. There is also a newcomer in the Junior Class: the DCUK champion in the Junior Class, Thurrock Marching Brass will compete with the Dutch youth corps.

Besana and Mosson are making a comeback in 2015. The two Italian powerhouses have joined forces after a year's absence and will participate in the Premier Class as a combined corps. “It’s great to have both familiar and new names on the list of participants”, said DCE chairman Marcel Matthijsse. “This is fantastic mix which the audience will undoubtedly enjoy.”

The list of participants for the DCE European Championships 2015:

PREMIER CLASS
37th Kingswood, Bristol
Beatrix, Hilversum
Black Knights, Gravesend
Blue Diamonds, Nienhagen
Cadence, Surrey & Berkshire
Jubal, Dordrecht
Juliana, Middelburg
Kidsgrove Scouts, Kidsgrove
Mosson Secutores, Besana & Mosson
Nexus, Biggleswade & Bedford
Revolution, Queensbury
Spirit of 52, Rastede
Starriders, Bad Münder
The Company, Nottingham
The Vikings, Tallaght
Wölper Löwen, Neustadt am Rübenberge

JUNIOR CLASS
Johan Friso, Middelburg
Jong Beatrix, Hilversum
Jong-Jolland Junioren, Zwijndrecht
Jong Jubal, Dordrecht
Thurrock Marching Brass, Thurrock

Besana Secutores Drum & Bugle Corps and Mosson Drum & Bugle Corps have announced that they launch a unique Italian project. The Italian corps will do a joint drill show, under the name 'Mosson Secutores'.

After some difficulties experienced in 2014 that forced the two corps to withdraw from the DCE European Championships, Mosson and Secutores decided to work together. "A choice that well represents drum corps values and demonstrates that the passion for music and marching can overcome the difficulties", the corps state in a joint press release.

"This will be the biggest challenge ever for the two corps, that will share instruments and knowledge, mix people and skills, and also open their doors to anyone willing to start this journey with them. DCE 2015, we are coming!" The first camp Besana Secutores will take place on 21st December.

Nicola Esposito has joined the DCE web team and is the new official translater for the Italian DCE website. He started doing translations in September.

Nicola (1987) began his drum corps carreer in 2005 when he joined Millennium (Verdello - Italy). In 2008 he marched the Crossmen, without abandoning his militancy in the Italian group. In 2011 Nicola joined the staff of Mosson (Vicenza - Italy) as Visual Caption Head and Drill Designer, and led the group to the European Music Games in Kerkrade. In 2013 he worked as Visual Tech at DCI Open Class corps Colt Cadets (Dubuque - Iowa), for which he designed the closer of the show. In January of this year, Nicola took the role of Visual Caption Head and Drill Designer at Brianza (Veduggio con Colzano - Italy).

"Last September Marco Janssen offered me this wonderful opportunity to help the DCE in the circulation of news of this activity in Italy, becoming its official translator", Nicola says. "I have always believed in the need to educate and inform young people and instruct them technically, to encourage the growth and participation, for this reason I've accepted this opportunity with gratitude and entusiasm; I intend to work with generosity and commitment. I am very grateful to DCE for this special occasion." The DCE board and web team are very delighted to have Nicola on board. "His energy and passion for the activity are unbelievable", DCE's PR manager Dennis Naaktgeboren said. "Nicola's work has already improved the Italian DCE website greatly, and his contribution to the DCE web team is fantastic."

Nicola currently works as a drill designer for various groups and since 2012 he is involved in the Italian Marching Show Band association, in order to promote of growth paths for individuals and associated groups, always in the direction of European integration for the Italian groups and the IMSB association.

The very first European SoundSport competition will take place in Bristol - England on Saturday, 21st March. SoundSport, the rapidly growing series of worldwide competitive and exhibition music ensemble performance opportunities, is produced by Drum Corps International.

The European SoundSport event is a partnership between DCI, the Kidsgrove Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps, DCUK, BYBA and DCE. "We are thrilled to expand the SoundSport brand into Europe", DCI Director of Business Development John DeNovi said. "This event will engage not just the active marching ensembles in the area, but will also provide new performance opportunities to ensembles that don't currently have an outlet from which to showcase the remarkable talents of their performers."

DCE Chairman Marcel Matthijsse added: "We are delighted that DCI has decided to expand their highly successful SoundSport series to Europe, where no doubt it will prove extremely popular. Drum Corps Europe is pleased to be working in association with DCI in a ground breaking collaboration which also includes BYBA, DCUK and event hosts the Kidsgrove Scouts."

"We have already received an overwhelming amount of interest from groups wishing to take part in this event," said Andy Hewlett, the organiser of SoundSport Bristol England. "Ensembles that haven't performed in the UK in nearly 20 years have contacted us looking to participate. This is as exciting for us as it will be for them."

SoundSport Bristol England will take place the evening of Saturday, 21st March at the sports hall of SGS College in Filton, Bristol. SGS College has staged many successful performing arts shows over the years, and the modern facility includes a café, bar and ample parking. Additionally, the campus is close to the M4 motorway. The event is slated to start at 7 p.m. GMT, and will feature a growing number of performing ensembles, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Groups interested in performing in the event are encouraged to register by contacting Drum Corps Europe at soundsport@drumcorpseurope.org. Event specific information will be listed on the SoundSport event schedule page as it becomes available.

For the 2015 season, Drum Corps Associates will allow keyboard synthesizers, amplification of voice, pre-recorded speech, and sampled sound effects. The decision was made at DCA's Winter Meeting.

"DCA's goal is to stay relevant with our members and audience", the organisation explains the rule change. "The average age of corps members has become younger over the past few years and there has been a true shift in how we approach entertainment and recruiting to keep our circuit viable and strong for many years to come. DCA is excited for how we can grow from here."

Other rule changes include the percussion judge moving from the field into the box, and guard members can now enter the field to set up at the same time as the pit without the clock starting. The benefits of the proposed 6 judge panel versus the current 7 judge panel was debated. The voting members unanimously agreed to keep the 7 judge panel.

The Heartliner will not be entering contests in Europe next year. “We are drum corps people, so it was a tough decision”, states the corps from Ludwigshafen - Germany.

The Heartliner had big plans for 2015, including increasing their fame in the region (by starting up a youth division, Heartliner Junior, among other things) and a big media project that should start soon. However, the plans are complicated by the huge explosion on 23rd October at BASF, which caused a lot of damage to the corps’ corps home and equipment of the corps.

For the foreseeable future, the association will be working on the reconstruction of the clubhouse. “This is time that can’t be spent preparing for contests,” Corps Director Uwe Baum explains. “Everything is geared to getting back on our feet and making a successful comeback on the contest fields. We will be back.”

Independent World WGI Finalist, Mayflower from London, today announced it has established a partnership with leading pageantry manufacturer, McCormicks Enterprises. Mayflower will have all its show flags for the 2015 season and beyond produced by McCormicks. 

Mayflower Director, Barry Davis commented on the partnership, “We worked with McCormicks to produce iconic flags for our 2013 production 'The Luckiest' and we are excited to work with them once again for the 2015 season and beyond.  Our 2015 production entitled “The Journey” calls for some very stylalized flags and McCormicks was our provider of choice. Their quality and speed of production is second to none.”

Alan Spaeth, Guard Division Manager for McCormicks commented “We are excited to be working with Mayflower once again and to bring our flag production into the forefront of the European colourguard activity.” Mayflower can be seen competing in the WGUK circuit as well as performing at 2 WGI regionals in the UK and in Holland, and will return to Dayton in 2016.

Oisin Molloy is the new chairman Irish Marching Bands Association. He takes over from Frances McNulty who served as chairperson for the past two years.

Oisin Molloy joined IMBA council twelve years ago and have served as secretary since 2005 (five terms of two years each). "I'm honoured to take on the role as chairperson of the association for 2015", he said. "I look forward to continuing the good work of the IMBA as the national organisation for the marching arts and I am also keen to further promote the organisation to a wider spectrum of bands which will hopefully help us further develop our membership and promote what do."

"I also look forward to continuing to build our international reputation by further developing relationships with international organisations and hopefully welcoming more overseas marchings bands and drum corps to Ireland."

Other council members elected for the IMBA board 2015 are Triona Homan (treasurer), Brendan Hoye (secretary), Frances McNulty (vice chair), Gerry Baker, Kevin Morgan, Fiona Lacey, Jim Carrigan, and a newly elected coulcil member Michael Thompson.