Drum Corps Associates Open Class World Champions Explained
During Labor Day Weekend, Drum Corps Associates (DCA) Open Class corps compete to earn the title of DCA Open Class World Champion. The championships consist of 2 rounds (Prelims and Finals) held on 2 consecutive nights (the Saturday and Sunday nights of Labor Day weekend). All corps compete at Prelims, with the top 10 Open Class and top 4 Class A corps competing at Finals. The champion is determined by the overall high score in the Finals competition. There are also a number of caption awards (high brass, high percussion, high visual, etc.), though the process of determination for those awards has changed from year to year.[1]
Only eleven corps have won at least one DCA title (including 2 ties):[2]
As of the conclusion of the 2019 competitive season, the Buccaneers, Bushwackers, Caballeros, Hurricanes, Skyliners, and Sunrisers remain in active Open Class competition. The Cadets2, Minnesota Brass, Brigadiers, Empire Statesmen, and Westshoremen are inactive.
1965
1966
- Champion: New York Skyliners of New York, NY
- Repertoire:
- Charlie Welch (from Mr. Wonderful)
- Columbia the Gem of the Ocean (from Thousands Cheer)
- That Old Black Magic (from Bus Stop)
- Flight of the Bumblebee
- Once in Love with Amy (from Where's Charley?)
- Hava Nagila
- Oklahoma (from Oklahoma!)
- Score: 84.53
- Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Venue: JFK Stadium
- Date: September 4
1967
1968
1969
- Champion: Connecticut Hurricanes of Derby, Connecticut
- Repertoire:
- Queen of Sheba March
- Hallelujah Chorus
- Rhapsody in Blue
- Walk on the Wild Side
- Hang 'Em High
- Magnificent Seven
- Also Sprach Zarathustra (from 2001: A Space Odyssey)
- Score: 79.745
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Venue: Aquinas Stadium
- Date: August 31
1970
1971
- Champion: New York Skyliners of New York, NY
- Repertoire:
- NY Montage
- Little Old New York (from Tenderloin)
- Longest Day
- Alabama Jubilee
- Lucretia McEvil
- Comes Love
- Slaughter on 10th Avenue (from On Your Toes)
- Little Old New York (from Tenderloin)
- East Side-West Side Fanfare
- Score: 91.5
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Venue: Aquinas Stadium
- Date: September 5
1972
1973
1974
1975
- Champion: New York Skyliners of New York, NY
- Repertoire:
- How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You
- Hymn to Victory (from Victory at Sea)
- West Side Story Medley
- The Elks' Parade
- Give My Regards to Broadway (from Yankee Doodle Dandy)
- East Side-West Side Fanfare
- Score: 91.28
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Venue: Holleder Memorial Stadium
- Date: August 31
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
- Champion: Connecticut Hurricanes of Derby, Connecticut
- Repertoire:
- Queen of Sheba March by Respighi, Ottorino
- Swing, Swing, Swing (from 1941) by Williams, John
- Salute to Freedom by Statham, Frank
- Devil Went Down to Georgia by Daniels, Charlie
- It's My Turn by Sondheim, Stephen
- Magnificent Seven by Bernstein, Elmer
- Score: 89.65
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Franklin Field
- Date: September 6
1982
- Champion: Long Island Sunrisers of Rockland County, New York
- Repertoire:
- God Save the Queen by Ives, Charles
- English Suite for Military Band by Vaughan Williams, Ralph
- Barnum's Revenge by Coleman, Cy
- Tiger of San Pedro by La Barbera, John
- Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor by Mangione, Chuck
- Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Come Follow the Band (from Barnum) by Coleman, Cy
- Score: 89.85
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 5
1983
- Champion: Long Island Sunrisers of Rockland County, New York
- Repertoire:
- Russian Meadowlands by Knipper, Lev
- Alexander's Ragtime Band by Berlin, Irving
- Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor by Mangione, Chuck
- Peasant Dance by Hirschberg, David
- Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Come Follow the Band (from Barnum) by Coleman, Cy
- Score: 91.45
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 4
1984
- Champion: Hawthorne Caballeros of Hawthorne, New Jersey
- Repertoire:
- Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo, Joaquin
- Nothing But D. Best by Best, Denzel de Costa
- Malaguena by Lecuona, Ernesto
- Don't Cry for Me Argentina (from Evita)
- Score: 92.4
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 3
1985
1986
- Champion: Bushwackers of Harrison, New Jersey
- Repertoire:
- Santos by Bellson, Louis
- Quensabe Los Suertas de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Richards, Johnny
- La Suerte de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Richards, Johnny
- Egyptian Danza by Di Meola, Al
- Ayres Eyes
- Score: 92.45
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: August 31
1987
This championships were noted by rain so severe during Prelims that Final were cancelled (due to extensive damage to the grass field) and the standing Prelims stood as the Finals results
1988
- Champion: Bushwackers of Harrison, New Jersey / Long Island Sunrisers of Rockland County, New York
- Bushwackers Repertoire:
- Pellet Suite by McDougal, Ian
- Inner Crisis by Willis, Larry
- Mira, Mira by Ferguson, Maynard
- Out of Africa (from Congo) by Bergman, Marilyn
- Sunrisers Repertoire:
- Savannah River Holiday by Nelson, Ron
- Concerto in F by Gershwin, George
- An American in Paris by Gershwin, George
- Score: 96.36
- Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Unavailable
- Date: September 5
1989
- Champion: Bushwackers of Harrison, New Jersey
- Repertoire:
- Time Check by Menza, Donald
- In Her Family by Metheny, Pat
- No Pasaran by Schanzer, Jeffrey
- Mira, Mira by Ferguson, Maynard
- Score: 95.1
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 3
There was actually a tie with the Sunrisers both had a score of 95.00 and Bush was given an extra .1 due to caption placements.
1990
1991
- Champion: Empire Statesmen of Rochester, New York
- Repertoire:
- Begin the Beguine (from Night and Day) by Porter, Cole
- Sophisticated Lady by Ellington, Duke
- American Patrol by Miller, Glenn
- Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree by Miller, Glenn
- In the Mood by Miller, Glenn
- America the Beautiful by Ward, Samuel A.
- Battle Hymn of the Republic by Steffe, William
- Score: 96.7
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Lackawanna County Stadium
- Date: September 1
1992
- Champion: Bushwackers of Harrison, New Jersey
- Repertoire:
- The Ballad of Sweeney Todd) by Sondheim, Stephen
- My Friends (from Sweeney Todd) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Worst Pies in London (from Sweeney Todd) by Sondheim, Stephen
- History of the World
- Epiphany (from Sweeney Todd) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Nothin's Gonna Harm You (from Sweeney Todd) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Score: 96.7
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Lackawanna County Stadium
- Date: September 6
1993
- Champion: Bushwackers of Harrison, New Jersey
- Repertoire:
- Sunday in the Park with George
- Putting It Together (from Sunday in the Park with George) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Color and Light (from Sunday in the Park with George) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Sunday in the Park (from Sunday in the Park with George) by Sondheim, Stephen
- Sunday by Sondheim, Stephen
- Score: 96.6
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Lackawanna County Stadium
- Date: September 6
1994
- Champion: Empire Statesmen of Rochester, New York
- Repertoire:
- The Music of Frank Sinatra
- Ol' Man River (from Show Boat) by Kern, Jerome
- I've Got the World on a String (from I'll Get By) by Arlen, Harold
- April in Paris (from The Helen Morgan Story) by Duke, Vernon
- My Way by Anka, Paul
- Score: 96.0
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Lackawanna County Stadium
- Date: September 3
1995
1996
- Champion: Westshoremen of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Repertoire:
- Suite for Westshore
- Granada Smoothie
- All the Things You Are
- Explosion!
- Marching Season
- Carnival (from La Fiesta Mexicana)
- Suite for Jazz Orchestra
- Blues in the Night
- Score: 96.9
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Venue: Frontier Field
- Date: September 1
1997
- Champion: Empire Statesmen of Rochester, New York / Syracuse Brigadiers of Syracuse, New York
- Empire Repertoire:
- Miss Saigon
- Overture
- Heat is On in Saigon
- Sun and Moon
- Dragon
- Fall of Saigon
- Brigadiers Repertoire:
- Night and Day: A Tribute to Cole Porter
- In the Still of the Night (from Night and Day)
- Love for Sale (from Night and Day)
- Night and Day
- It's Alright With Me (from Can-Can)
- Score: 96.3
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: August 31
1998
- Champion: Empire Statesmen of Rochester, New York
- Repertoire:
- West Side Story
- Fanfare
- The Jets
- Maria
- America
- Cool
- The Rumble
- Somewhere
- Score: 97.9
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 6
1999
- Champion: Syracuse Brigadiers of Syracuse, New York
- Repertoire:
- On the Town with Buddy and Mel
- Channel One Suite by Reddie, Bill
- Harlem Nocturne by Hagen, Earl
- Mercy Mercy Mercy by Ochs, Michael
- Score: 97.5
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Venue: J. Birney Crum Stadium
- Date: September 5
2000
- Champion: Syracuse Brigadiers of Syracuse, New York
- Repertoire:
- City Rhythms
- Slaughter on 10th Avenue (from On Your Toes) by Rodgers, Richard
- Ballet in Brass by Brown, Les; Schoen, Victor
- Artistry in Rhythm by Kenton, Stan
- Harlem Nocturne by Hagen, Earle
- Score: 98.0
- Location: Syracuse, New York
- Venue: P & C Stadium
- Date: September 3
2001
- Champion: Syracuse Brigadiers of Syracuse, New York
- Repertoire:
- Jazz Street, After Hours
- Seven Year Itch by Newman, Alfred
- Come Back to Me (from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever) by Lane, Burton
- God Bless the Child by Herzog, Jr., Arthur; Holiday, Billy
- Mac Arthur Park by Webb, Jimmy
- Score: 97.95
- Location: Syracuse, New York
- Venue: P & C Stadium
- Date: September 2
2002
- Champion: Syracuse Brigadiers of Syracuse, New York
- Repertoire:
- Picasso Sketchbook
- Spanish Fantasy by Corea, Chick
- Day Danse by Corea, Chick
- Guaganco by Sandoval, Arturo
- All Or Nothing At All by Porter, Cole
- Score: 98.6
- Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Lackawanna County Stadium
- Date: September 1
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
- Champion: Reading Buccaneers of Reading, Pennsylvania
- Repertoire:
- Rome MMX
- Pines of the Appian Way (fourth Movement from Pines of Rome)
- Games at the Circus Maximus (Movement I from Roman Festivals)
- Adagio from Spartacus
- The Epiphany (Movement IV from Roman Festivals)
- Score: 98.263
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Venue: PAETEC Park
- Date: September 6
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
- Champion: Cadets2 of Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Repertoire:
- Full Circle
- The Heat of the Day by Pat Matheny
- First Circle by Pat Matheny
- Third Wind by Pat Matheny
- Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
- Score: 97.95
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Venue: Capelli Sport Stadium
- Date: Sep 4
2017
2018
2019
- Champion: Reading Buccaneers of Reading, Pennsylvania
- Repertoire:
- Dans Ma Chambre
- "Benedictus" by Karl Jenkins
- "Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture" by Mikhail Glinka
- "Flashdance What a Feeling" by Irene Crane
- "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
- Score: 98.225
- Location: Williamsport, PA
- Venue: STA Stadium
- Date: Aug 31 (Prelims & Finals)
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: DCA . Drum Corps Associates . September 8, 2015.
- Web site: DCA Championships . Maher Associates, Inc. . September 8, 2015.
