Drum Corps International World Class Champions

At the end of the summer season, Drum Corps International (DCI) World Class corps compete to earn the title of DCI World Class Champion (formerly DCI Division I World Champion). The championships consist of 3 rounds—Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals—held on the first or second Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of August. Through 2010, all active World Class corps (23 corps as of 2010) competed in the Quarterfinals, with the top 17 advancing to the Semifinals. The top 12 corps from Semifinals then advanced to the Finals. Since the 2011 season, all active DCI corps (Open and World Class) have been permitted to compete for the championship. In this format, over 40 corps compete in Quarterfinals, while the top 25 advance to Semifinals, and the best 12 advancing to 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.

In DCI's 39-season history, only 8 corps have won the title (including 3 ties):

Blue Devils – 14 titles (2 ties)
The Cadets – 10 titles (1 tie)
The Cavaliers – 7 titles (1 tie)
Santa Clara Vanguard – 6 titles (1 tie)
Madison Scouts – 2 titles
Phantom Regiment – 2 titles (1 tie)
Anaheim Kingsmen – 1 title
Star of Indiana – 1 title

The Kingsmen and Star of Indiana are no longer in active competition. The remaining six corps are often referred to as the "Top 6", due to their consistently high performance and fan support. These corps also typically attract the greatest number of prospective members each year. The historical "Top 6" corps have not finished in positions 1–6 every year, however; since 1987, only six corps^[1] outside the "Top 6" (excluding Star of Indiana) have managed to place in one of the top six positions, and only two have ever finished higher than fourth.^[2]

Year	Date	Champion & Repertoire	Score	Location	Venue
2011	13 August	The Cadets (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Between Angels and Demons Angels in the Architecture 160 BPM from Angels and Demons Doxology/Amazing Grace Finale	98.350	Indianapolis, Indiana	Lucas Oil Stadium
2010	14 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Through a Glass, Darkly City of Glass Suite Conflict Mirage Trajectories Incident in Jazz Laura La Suerte De Los Tontos	98.900	Indianapolis, Indiana	Lucas Oil Stadium
2009	8 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) 1930 Get Happy Happy Days Are Here Again Playing Love Piano Variations Rialto Ripples I Got Rhythm Piano Concerto in F Caravan	99.050	Indianapolis, Indiana^[3]	Lucas Oil Stadium
2008	9 August	Phantom Regiment (Rockford, Illinois) Spartacus Ein Heldenleben Selections from Spartacus Toccata from Piano Concerto No.1 Dance of Ecstasy Battlefield from KÀ	98.125	Bloomington, Indiana^[4]	Memorial Stadium
2007	11 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Winged Victory Pegasus Fantasy Ascension Heaven	98.000	Pasadena, California	Rose Bowl
2006	12 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) Machine Genesis Wired Premonition The Machine Age	97.200	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
2005	13 August	The Cadets (Allentown, Pennsylvania) The Zone: Dreamscapes in Four Parts with a Door Twisted Nerve from Kill Bill Liquid Overture to a New World from Dancer in the Dark Cvalda from Dancer in the Dark Vertigo False Mirrors	99.150	Foxborough, Massachusetts	Gillette Stadium
2004	7 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) 007 Goldeneye Hovercraft from Die Another Day Tomorrow Never Dies	98.700	Denver, Colorado	INVESCO Field at Mile High
2003	9 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) The Phenomenon of Cool Concierto de Aranjuez Take Five Blue Rondo A La Turk Unsquare Dance	98.80	Orlando, Florida	Citrus Bowl
2002	10 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) Frameworks Melody Harmony Rhythm	99.15	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
2001	11 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) Four Corners	98.35	Orchard Park, New York	Ralph Wilson Stadium
2000	12 August	The Cadets (Allentown, Pennsylvania) We Are the Future Disney Millennium Celebration The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) Niagara Falls Niagara Falls Richard Saucedo Original Composition	97.65	College Park, Maryland	Byrd Stadium
1999	14 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Rhythms...At the Edge of Time Estancia Ballet (Rhythm 1 – Afrocuban/Malambo) Powerhouse: Rhumba for Orchestra (Rhythm 2 – Rhumba) Powerhouse: Rhumba for Orchestra (Rhythm 3 – Samba) Adios Nonino (Rhythm 4 – Tango) Unchained Melody (Rhythm 5 – Jazz) The Dirty Boogie (Rhythm 6 – Swing) Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) Inventions for a New Millennium: Music by Samuel Barber and Frank Ticheli The Canyon Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 1 Blue Shades	98.40	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
1998	15 August	The Cadets (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Jan Van der Roost's Stonehenge Stonehenge Canterbury Chorale	98.40	Orlando, Florida	Citrus Bowl
1997	16 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) As Time Goes By... Casablanca Bangkok A Night in Tunisia As Time Goes By	98.40	Orlando, Florida	Citrus Bowl
1996	17 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Club Blue: A Gangster Chronicle Children's Hour of Dream Desi Tess' Theme from Dick Tracy Trouble from Mission Impossible Phantom Regiment (Rockford, Illinois) A Defiant Heart: The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich Fourth Ballet Suite First Symphony, Second Movement Fifth Symphony, Fourth Movement	97.40	Orlando, Florida	Citrus Bowl
1995	12 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) The Planets Mars Venus Mercury Jupiter	98.30	Orchard Park, New York	Rich Stadium
1994	20 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) My Spanish Heart Spanish Fantasy Part I Night Streets Day Danse My Spanish Heart Spanish Fantasy Part 4	98.40	Foxborough, Massachusetts	Foxboro Stadium
1993	21 August	The Cadets of Bergen County (Bergen County, New Jersey) In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War In the Spring, When Kings Go Off to War Ballet Sacra On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss	97.40	Jackson, Mississippi	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
1992	15 August	The Cavaliers (Rosemont, Illinois) Revolution and Triumph Gavorkna Fanfare Cornish Dances, 4th Movement English Dances, 4th Movement Peterloo Overture	97.50	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
1991	17 August	Star of Indiana (Bloomington, Indiana) Roman Images: The Music of Ottorino Respighi Roman Festivals – Movement I The Pines of Rome – Movement I Roman Festivals – Movement II Roman Festivals – Movement III Roman Festivals – Movement IV	97.00	Dallas, Texas	Cotton Bowl
1990	18 August	The Cadets of Bergen County (Bergen County, New Jersey) A Bernstein Celebration Overture to Candide Mass Somewhere from West Side Story Fancy Free Ballet	97.70	Orchard Park, New York	Rich Stadium
1989	19 August	Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) Phantom of The Opera Angel of Music Masquerade Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again Track Down this Murderer	98.80	Kansas City, Missouri	Arrowhead Stadium
1988	20 August	Madison Scouts (Madison, Wisconsin) Concerto For Guitar and Jazz Orchestra Malagueña	97.10	Kansas City, Missouri	Arrowhead Stadium
1987	15 August	Garfield Cadets (Garfield, New Jersey) Appalachian Spring	97.90	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
1986	16 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Channel One Suite Conquistador Spanish Fantasy Chick Corea Suite'	98.40	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
1985	17 August	Garfield Cadets (Garfield, New Jersey) Jeremiah Symphony Overture to Candide Make Our Garden Grow from Candide	98.40	Madison, Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium
1984	18 August	Garfield Cadets (Garfield, New Jersey) Selections from West Side Story	98.00	Atlanta, Georgia	Grant Field
1983	20 August	Garfield Cadets (Garfield, New Jersey) Rocky Point Holiday Mass by Leonard Bernstein	94.40	Miami, Florida	Miami Orange Bowl
1982	21 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) T.O. Pegasus Paradox One More Time Chuck Corea People Alone from The Competition	95.25	Montreal, Quebec	Olympic Stadium
1981	22 August	Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) Northridge A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Slava Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita	94.00	Montreal, Quebec	Olympic Stadium
1980	16 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) New York Fantasy Ya Gotta Try Pegasus Free La Suerte de Los Tontos from Cuban Fire Suite Pauper in Paradise Dindi	90.60	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field
1979	18 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Chicago III Suite La Suerte de Los Tontos from Cuban Fire Suite My Heart Belongs to Me	93.55	Birmingham, Alabama	Legion Field
1978	18 August	Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) Overture to a New Era Dance of Welcome from Gayne Ballet Adagio from Gayne Ballet Lezghinka from Gayne Ballet Gopak from Gayne Ballet If You Believe from The Wiz Bottle Dance from Fiddler on the Roof	91.55	Denver, Colorado	Mile High Stadium
1977	19 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Channel One Suite Spanish Fantasy Gonna Fly Now from Rocky	92.05	Denver, Colorado	Mile High Stadium
1976	21 August	Blue Devils (Concord, California) Channel One Suite Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor Chase the Clouds Away	92.70	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Franklin Field
1975	16 August	Madison Scouts (Madison, Wisconsin) Slaughter on 10th Avenue from On Your Toes Mac Arthur Park Rhapsody in Blue Dueling Banjos The Way We Were	92.50	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Franklin Field
1974	17 August	Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) "Siegfried's Rhine Journey" from "Die Gotterdamerung" A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Overture to Candide A Little Night Music Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music	89.50	Ithaca, New York	Schoellkopf Field
1973	17 August	Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, California) Fanfare and Allegro A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Wedding Celebration and Bottle Dance from Fiddler on the Roof Chava Ballet from Fiddler on the Roof	88.65	Whitewater, Wisconsin	Warhawk Stadium
1972	18 August	Anaheim Kingsmen (Anaheim, California) March from Folk Song Suite When Johnny Comes Marching Home Mickey Mouse Club March Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo Sing Sing Sing Exodus King of Kings	88.10	Whitewater, Wisconsin	Warhawk Stadium

^ The six non-"Top 6" corps that have finished in the top six are: Crossmen (6th, 1992, 1997); Glassmen (5th, 1998, 1999, 2001); Boston Crusaders (5th, 2000, 2002; 6th, 2003); Blue Knights (6th, 2000); Bluecoats (6th, 2004, 2008, 2009; 5th, 2005; 4th, 2006; 3rd, 2010); Carolina Crown (6th, 2007; 4th, 2008, 2010; 2nd, 2009, 4th 2011)
^ In 2009, Carolina Crown became the first drum corps outside of the "Top 6" since 1987 to finish in the top three, placing second. The Bluecoats managed the feat in 2010, placing third.
^ DCI has contracted with the City of Indianapolis to hold the Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium every year through 2018, with the exception of 2014. The location of the 2014 Championships is undetermined.
^ The 2008 Championships were originally to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium but were moved to Indiana University's Memorial Stadium in Bloomington due to construction delays.

Drum Corps International World Class Champions

External links