“Now Boarding,” the 2016 production from Minnesota Brass began its journey on Saturday, January 2 during our audition camp in Brooklyn Center. Even if you missed takeoff on Saturday, you can still print your boarding pass at home to join us on the next leg of our trip. Horn and percussion auditions continue on Wednesday evening, February 10 at Brooklyn Center High School. Our departure time is 6:30 p.m. Bring a friend and pack comfortably for an evening rehearsal including music and movement.
In addition, Minnesota Brass is excited to announce the continuation of our long-standing relationship with Dynasty USA for our battery and front line percussion equipment Our arrangement with Dynasty allows the drum corps and Minnesota Brass Indoor to perform on all new battery equipment each season.
In 2016 the corps will also be replacing our entire line of percussion keyboard equipment through Dynasty USA including an entire new set of Bergerault, Rosewood marimbas, Bergerault vibes and a Bergerault pedal glockenspiel. This equipment is currently being manufactured in France for Minnesota Brass in time for our 2016 performances!
The 70th Anniversary season for Minnesota Brass begins on Saturday, January 2, with auditions for horns and percussion. Register now!
Just weeks after completing the 2015 drum corps season, all eyes have shifted to 2016 and our winter ensembles. This year, Minnesota Brass is excited to launch a new ensemble and create our first ever Super Audition Camp for all MBI winter ensembles! Whether you’re interested in the Minnesota Brass Indoor Drumline, MBI Winter Guard or our new winds ensemble, you’ll want to be at Brooklyn Center High School on Sunday, September 27. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. with auditions slated to begin promptly at 9. Lunch is provided as part of the $25 audition fee and members will be done promptly at 4. Submit your member interest form today.
Minnesota Brass Winds enters its inaugural season as a WGI Independent World Class unit. The ensemble is open to all ages and will feature brass and woodwinds players. The winds ensemble will perform in the North Star Circuit and Minnesota Percussion Association events culminating in a trip to the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, April 16-17.
MBI Winter Guard competes as a WGI Independent A class unit representing Minnesota Brass at the St. Louis WGI Regional and the WGI World Championships, April 7-9. MBI Winter Guard will also perform throughout Minnesota at North Star Circuit shows. Potential members must be 21 or younger to participate in the MBI Winter Guard.
Minnesota Brass Indoor Drumline competes as a WGI Independent World class drumline. Highly skilled percussionists under the age of 22 are eligible to audition. The drumline will compete in Minnesota Percussion Association events and the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, April 14-16.
Current high school students interested in any Minnesota Brass winter ensemble will be required to have the permission of their music teacher/band director. If your school has a winter program for your primary instrument, you should be performing with your school’s unit and not auditioning for Minnesota Brass. Don’t worry . . . we’ll be around in years to come so we hope to see you at a later time.
The last rehearsal day of the year was fun-house full of focus as the corps continued to clean every last beat of Mad Circus. Today’s long block at Badgerow Park gave plenty of time for everyone to work on achieving a new level of performance as the corps prepares for tomorrow evening’s Semi-Finals competition at the DCA World Championships.
This evening members of our administrative team gathered to celebrate the induction of Gavin Burnham, our president and CEO into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Gavin has been in a leadership role with the corps for more than 25 years and his talents have helped Minnesota Brass achieve remarkable success. The evening provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Gavin’s work and the achievements of several other inductees who have each contributed to the drum corps community.
The evening ended with the Mini Corps competition and our very own Minne-Brass who placed fourth with a score of 91.5 in tonight’s competition. Their program, featuring music of the Hornheads, was a stellar display of talent arranged by Minne-Brass director (and Minnesota Brass board chair) Todd Tanji. Congratulations to Minne-Brass on another outstanding performance!
Tomorrow, the drum corps will rehearse from 9-2 at Badgerow Park North. We will then head back to our hotel to freshen up a bit in preparation for tomorrow’s preliminary performance. The corps takes the field at Sahlen’s Stadium at 7:38. For the latest, keep following us on facebook and twitter. #mbi15
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
