Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Santa Clara Vanguard is a Division I modern drum and bugle corps based in Santa Clara, California, founded in 1967, and is a member corps of Drum Corps International. The Santa Clara Vanguard (sometimes simply referred to as "Santa Clara", "SCV", "The Vanguard", or simply, "Vanguard") is a charter member of DCI, as well as the fourth most successful DCI member corps with six champion titles to their name. In the first DCI finals in 1972, the corps placed third, and then returned the next two years to capture the first place title. A strong contender throughout the 1970s, the Vanguard has since returned to capture DCI titles in the 1980s and 1990s. The Vanguard is known for their strong percussion section, which has taken top honors in several World Championships.

The Santa Clara Vanguard have been DCI Division I World Champions six times, in 1973, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1989, and 1999. In addition, they have placed second seven times (1975, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1998) and third eight times (1972, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1997, and 2004). The corps has never placed out of the top eight at DCI Finals.

Perhaps more than any other corps, Santa Clara stresses tradition. It is perhaps this, combined with the pioneering nature of Santa Clara's shows, that has made them one of the activity's most popular corps. Many fans cite the 1989 Vanguard rendition of The Phantom of the Opera as not only the corps' greatest show, but the greatest in the history of DCI, as evidenced by fan votes for the 2005 Classic Countdown, a theatrical special where shows were chosen by fans. Other Vanguard traditions include an award-winning percussion ensemble that has captured numerous percussion captions, the long-standing corps director Gail Royer, who guided the corps from its inception to his death in 1993, and the famous Vanguard performance of the "Bottle Dance" from Fiddler on the Roof.

Contents 1 Championship Seasons 1.1 1989 1.2 1999 2 External links

[edit] Championship Seasons

[edit] 1989

After placing second for four years in a row, the decision was made to return to the field in the 1989 season with a highly polished repertoire of the previous year's music, selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Aiming to draw as much emotion as possible from the audience, Santa Clara's finals performance was a theatrical presentation perhaps unlike any other show before or since. Giant phantom masks lined the field and performers donned half-masks of their own. During the final, dramatic push in "Music of the Night", a fully costumed Phantom seated himself on a chair and was covered with a sheet, and after the last note released, the cloth was flung back to reveal an empty seat, mask still on it. Simulataneous to the disappearance of this individual, the entire corps had apparently vanished as well, behind mask props and under a giant tarp in center field. With all members safely disguised, that covering moved away to reveal a similar mask left positioned in the middle of the field. The Vanguard set a record score that night of 98.8, untouched until the 2002 Cavaliers and the 2005 Cadets, which both achieved a 99.15. 1989 remains by far the most popular Santa Clara Vanguard season and was voted by fans the greatest show of all time in the 2004 internet poll to determine shows in the 2005 DCI Classic Countdown, an in-theater showing of the top shows in DCI history.

[edit] 1999

The Santa Clara Vanguard claimed top honors in a tie with the Blue Devils at the 1999 DCI Finals, with the music of Philip Glass, Samuel Barber, and Frank Ticheli. In a show described as "minimalist", contrary to the Vanguard's traditional theatrical style, the Vanguard tied with a score of 98.40 points, as well as taking the general effect caption.

[edit] External links

• Santa Clara Vanguard Official Website
• Santa Clara Vanguard repertoires at Corpsreps.com
• Santa Clara Vanguard at DrumCorpsWiki
• Drum Corps International
• [1]