Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps

The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps is an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in San Antonio, Texas, the Guardians perform in Drum Corps International (DCI) competitions.[1]

Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps
LocationSan Antonio, Texas
DivisionOpen Class
Founded2012
DirectorMichael Bell
Websitewww.guardiansdbc.org

History

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Johnathan Doerr, a 19-year-old student at Texas Tech University approached his best friend, Isaac Lee, former drum major of the Blue Devils with the idea of a community-based local touring drum corps in the Central Texas area. On October 28, 2012, Doerr founded the Central Texas Drum Corps Initiative in San Marcos, the organization which would become the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. A meeting was held in Seguin in December to gauge community support. With 25 people attending, a decision was made to go forward with developing the future performing unit with its base relocated to Seguin.[2]

When, in early 2013, DCI announced the introduction of two new activities for small competitive units, DrumLine Battle and SoundSport, Doerr saw that he could use SoundSport as a means of helping to start the new corps.[3]

The inaugural membership/rehearsal meeting of the Guardians was held in Seguin in March. Fifteen potential members were in attendance. Aid and assistance was soon forthcoming from established drum corps such as Open Class corps Genesis and Legends, Texas' World Class corps the Crossmen, and all-age corps the Vigilantes, as well as music businesses, interested individuals, and DCI. The corps also grew in size, rapidly approaching the SoundSport maximum of 50, with members coming from throughout Texas.

In June, the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps undertook a short, in-state tour, giving several performances and concluding with a SoundSport exhibition at the DCI Southwestern Championship regional competition at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Continuing to develop slowly, with an eye focused on the financial bottom line, the Guardians entered DCI Open Class competition in 2014. Fielding a corps of 112 members (56 brass, 16 battery percussion, 12 front ensemble, 24 auxiliary/guard, 4 drum majors), the unit entered only two contests, both in its home state of Texas, at Round Rock (which was rained out) and San Antonio.

In April 2015, the Guardians again relocated, this time to Houston.

In 2016, the corps had a much longer season, including a three-week-long spring training and eight competitions, including both open class and world class finals, as opposed to the previous year's three. In addition, the corps received a sponsorship from System Blue, and as such, got new instruments from them.

Show summary (2013–24)

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Source:[4]

Key
Light blue background indicates DCI Open Class Finalist
Pale green background indicates DCI World Class Semifinalist
Year Repertoire World Championships
Score Placement
2013 The Eternal Quest
Apocalyptic (Symphony No. 8) by Anton Bruckner / Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) by Gustav Mahler / Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) by Edward Elgar / Children's March (Over the Hills and Far Away) by Percy Grainger
Did not attend World Championships
2014 Terra Nova
Ecstatic Waters by Steven Bryant / Third Symphony, Mvt. 2 Allegro Molto by Aaron Copland / Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) by Gustav Mahler / Daphnis and Chloé - Scene 3 by Maurice Ravel / Old Hundredth (Doxology) by Loys Bourgeois / Original Music by Daniel Montoya Jr. & Sarah Santa Cruz
2015 Light of Gold
Grand Piano Music, Part II: On the Dominant Divide by John Adams / Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach / Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre / Original Music by Daniel Montoya Jr. & Robbie Green
2016 Radioactive
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 by Hector Berlioz / Radioactive by Melvyn Gonzalez, Alexander Grant, Ben McKee. Josh Mosser, Dan Platzman, Dan Reynolds & Wayne Sermon (Imagine Dragons) / Radioactive by Daniel Montoya Jr. & Benjamin Pyles / The Adoration of Veless and Ala (from Scythian Suite) by Sergei Prokofiev / Creep by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien & Phil Selway (Radiohead); Albert Hammond & Mike Hazlewood / Everything In Its Right Place by Thom Yorke (Radiohead) / The National Anthem by Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood & Phil Selway (Radiohead) / Church Windows, Mvt. II by Ottorino Respighi / Toxic by Cathy Dennis, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg & Henrik Jonback / Original Music by Daniel Montoya Jr. & Robbie Green
64.450 11th Place
Open Class
Finalist
64.988 32nd Place
World Class
2017 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Dark Fantasy by Kanye West, Robert Diggs (RZA), Ernest Wilson (No I.D.), Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Malik Yusef Jones, Jon Anderson & Mike Oldfield / Power by Kanye West, Larry Griffin, Jr. (Symbolyc One), Dean Bhasker, Andwele Gardner (Dwele), Ken Lewis, Francois Bernheim, Jean-Pierre Lang, Boris Bergman, Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald & Peter Sinfield / Heartless by Kanye West, Ernest Wilson, Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) & Malik Yusef Jones / All of the Lights by Kanye West, Dean Bhasker, Malik Yusef Jones & Warren Trotter (Really Doe) / Runaway by Kanye West, Terrence Thornton (Pusha T), Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean & John Roger Branch / Symphony in B♭ & Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith, Original Music by Daniel Montoya Jr., Doug Bush & Patricia Islas
69.738 10th Place
Open Class
Finalist
67.838 33rd Place
World Class
2018 Damned
Halo by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart & Beyoncé Knowles / Cocoa Butter Kisses by Chancelor Jonathan Bennett (Chance the Rapper) / Sunrise by Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) / Sweatpants by Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jason Martin (Problem) / Praying by Kesha Sebert, Andrew Joslyn, Ben Abraham & Ryan Lewis / HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Michael Williams (Mike Will Made It & Asheton Hogan / Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection) by Gustav Mahler / H•a•m by Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), Kanye West & Lexus Lewis (Lex Luger / No Church In the Wild by James Brown, Shawn Carter, Michael Dean, Christopher Francis (Frank Ocean), Phil Manzanera, Terius Nash (The-Dream), Charles Njapa (88-Keys), Joseph Roach, Kanye West & Gary Wright / Original Music by Daniel Montoya Jr., Doug Bush & Patricia Islas
71.875 7th Place
Open Class
Finalist
71.200 29th Place
World Class
2019 Unpeeled
Palladio by Karl Jenkins / Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails by Irving Berlin / Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake / Across the Universe by John Lennon / La Valse à Mille Temps by Jacques Brel
73.575 7th Place
Open Class
Finalist
70.975 29th Place
World Class
2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Contrary
Theme from The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber / Back That Azz Up by Juvenile / Careless Whisper by George Michael & Andrew Ridgely (Wham!) / Work It by Missy Elliott / Original Music by Ben Hylton, Matt Penland, & Tyler Sammons
No scored competitions
2022 From Scratch...
Turning Tables by Adele / Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler / Y'all Get Back Now by Big Freedia / Original Music by Ben Hylton, Matt Penland & Tyler Sammons
79.213 5th Place
Open Class
Finalist
73.925 24th Place
World Class
Semifinalist
2023 i know the end.
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes / X. Adjuah (I Own The Night) by Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (Christian Scott) / Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead / Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance / Original Music by Ben Hylton, Matt Penland & Tyler Sammons
72.688 6th Place
Open Class
Finalist
74.575 27th Place
World Class
2024 Going Places
Clutch by Andrew Lloyd Webber / Like Kids (from Cirque du Soleil's “Volta”) by M83 / The Beating of our Hearts (from The Symphony of Us) by Pinar Toprak / What You Mean to Me (from Finding Neverland) by Scott Frankel
Did not attend World Championships

References

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  1. ^ "Corps". Drum Corps International. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Field Pass: The dream of starting a drum corps becomes a reality". Drum Corps International. July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  3. ^ "Guardians aim to use SoundSport as a springboard to Open Class competition". Drum Corps International. July 25, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "DCX - Drum Corps Xperience". www.corpsreps.com. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
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