Greetings from Rochester, New York! Yesterday at 6 p.m., Minnesota Brass departed the North Star State and headed East. After a lengthy overnight journey through Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and a smidgen of Pennsylvania, the corps entered New York and headed North past Buffalo to visit Niagra Falls. While we have come to Rochester many times in the past, the vast majority of members have little opportunity to see anything other than their hotel, practice area and performance site. This year, a visit to the Falls allowed corps members to see something new and amazing. We learned, for instance, that the water of the Falls comes from four of the great lakes before tumbling over the edge which means that some of the water we saw had also been on a lengthy journey from Minnesota! Check out some fun pictures from our visit by following #mbi15 on Twitter.
After a few hours visit, we headed South to Rochester and our home-away-from-home, the Doubletree Hotel on Jefferson Road. Corps members had a chance to relax a bit and take a shower (a particularly great experience after 22 hours on the bus!) before preparing for this evening’s parking lot rehearsal. This annual tradition is as much about shaking off the lethargy of the bus as it is about performing. Members had a blast in the hotel parking lot and then got to relax for the rest of the evening.
Friday the corps will rehearse nearly all day, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Badgerow Park North in Rochester (guests are welcome). In the evening, our President and CEO, Gavin Burnham will be inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. The evening concludes with Minne-Brass performing at 10:15 in downtown Rochester at the Mini Corps Competition.
We’ll do all we can to keep you up to date as the weekend progresses! Be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter.
Wondering what time the corps performs at Prelims? Curious where Minnesota Brass is rehearsing while in Rochester? Want to tune into the DCA Fan Network and watch the corps live right from your very own lake cabin? We’ve got you covered. Our 2015 guide for DCA fans of Minnesota Brass is up and ready for you. Take a look and cheer us on (in Rochester or from afar) all the way to Finals on Sunday evening.
Auditions for all winter ensembles September 27
Minnesota Brass is excited to announce the launch of a new winds ensemble for the 2016 indoor season. Featuring brass and woodwinds, the new group will provide members with the same exciting performance opportunities their percussion and color guard peers have enjoyed for years.
“We want to create a highly engaging and energetic program that is fun for both our members and our fans,” said Eric Molho, executive director of Minnesota Brass. “This is an exciting indication of the growth of our organization.” The ensemble will be under the creative direction of Scott Palmer, brass caption supervisor for Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps and band director at Eden Prairie High School. The ensemble will compete regionally and at the 2016 WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, in April 2016. Prospective members interested in joining the new ensemble should complete this contact information form.
In addition to launching the new winds ensemble, Minnesota Brass is also scheduling a Super Audition Camp for all three indoor ensembles. Potential members of MBI Winter Guard, Minnesota Brass Indoor Percussion and the new winds ensemble should mark Sunday, Sept. 27, on their calendars. The Super Audition Camp will provide an opportunity for all of the winter/indoor ensembles to launch their seasons together and to leverage the comprehensive strengths of the Minnesota Brass organization. Details about the audition camp are below; for more information about joining a Minnesota Brass ensemble complete the appropriate contact information form.
Super Audition Camp
Auditions for MBI Winter Guard, Minnesota Brass Indoor Percussion and the Minnesota Brass winds ensemble.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015
8:30 a.m. Registration opens
9 am. – 4 p.m. Audition camp (lunch included)
Brooklyn Center High School
Camp/audition fee: $25
Lions and tigers and . . . hulu hoops? Minnesota Brass’s Mad Circus will pull into town at Mendota Heights this Friday evening for one night only! Don’t miss the 2015 edition of Sounds of Minnesota at Saint Thomas Academy. The show starts at 7 p.m. and gates open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now! Premium seats are available online in advance for $10; Standard seats are $10 at the gate. While children of all ages are welcome, only kids who are six and under will be admitted free. For more information, call 651-717-4382. Proceeds from the show help support the Saint Thomas Academy Band Backers.
Sponsored by Minnesota Brass, Sounds of Minnesota will feature top all-age drum corps from Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as other ensembles in exhibition. Each competing unit will perform a 15-minute field show and will be evaluated by a panel of judges.
Units appearing in competition include the Govenaires of St. Peter, Minn.; Chops Inc. of Minneapolis; the Kilties, from Racine, Wis.; and Minnesota Brass. Both Minnesota Brass and the Govenaires won the 2011 Drum Corps Associates (DCA) World Championships in their respective divisions. Preceding the competition will be performances by Minne-Brass, the small-corps ensemble of Minnesota Brass (and winners of DCA’s first mini-corps championship in 1999 and again in 2005) and a special exhibition from the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band.
The host Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps was established in 1947. Since 2008, including the 2011 World Championship, the 120-member unit and has never placed lower than third among upwards of 20 competing units. The Sounds of Minnesota show will be the final chance to see Minnesota Brass perform in the Twin Cities before the corps heads to Rochester, N.Y., to compete in the 2015 DCA World Championships.
