Drum & Bugle Corps

Sam Khwice, who served two years as drum major for the Minnesota State University, Mankato “Marching Mavericks,” has been named drum major for Minnesota Brass for the 2018 season.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Minnesota Brass for the upcoming season,” Khwice, 24, who is new to the organization, said. “There were many qualified, outstanding candidates for the position, and I am honored to have been named drum major for the upcoming season.

“MBI is an organization I have wanted to be a part of for some time, but because of school and proximity, I couldn’t make it happen. I’m very excited to finally be a part of the group!”

Khwice of Chaska, Minn., grew up in nearby Victoria and played at and graduated from Chanhassen High School. He topped a field of 12 candidates who expressed interest in the position, according to Brent Turner, himself a former drum major of the corps who conducted the auditions. “Sam was chosen for his positive energy and dedication to MBI,” Turner added. “He is a leader in the true sense of the word: always prepared, comes to rehearsals early and stays late. He is going to be a great continuation of strong drum majors for MBI.”

Turner noted Khwice is a regular attendee at the annual Minnesota Music Educators Association conventions, and currently also assists the Eden Prairie (Minn.) Eagle Marching Band.

Khwice’s appointment was announced to the corps’ membership at the Feb. 24 weekend camp, where a looming winter storm curtailed attendance among brass players, while the guard and percussion sections were off preparing for winter competitions the same day. That didn’t keep a trio of brass rookies from showing up.

French-horn player Andrew Resch first encountered MBI at the Vikingland Marching Band Festival in Alexandria, Minn., at which the corps annually presents both a field performance and marches in the event’s huge parade.

Noah Koep first saw the corps perform at DCI Minnesota and, with the encouragement of his high-school band director – MBI alum Joe DeLisi – will be playing mellophone this summer.

And trumpeter Patrick Marrs, who is a Little League umpire and encountered Minnesota Brass at a performance in conjunction with Super Bowl LII held in Minneapolis earlier in the month, is also taking his band director’s encouragement onto the field.

All three expresses similar hopes for the coming season: to improve their playing chops, become better marchers and, universally, “have a great time this summer with some amazing people.”
Shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve that goal.

And we’re off! Minnesota Brass headed “Between the Lines” on Feb. 11 as some 50 prospective performers – both rookies and returning vets – showed up at Brooklyn Center High School for auditions and the first rehearsals of the 2018 season.

The day’s events included introductions, a first glance at the new music, an early marching workout and a presentation of the MBI Winter Guard’s 2018 program, “Oh, the Places You’ll REALLY go!”

“It’s a great turnout,” said Eric Molho, former corps director and current board chairman, said. “There’s some real positive energy here, and I think people are excited for 2018. All of the new staff members are energetic and enthusiastic. I think we’re off to a strong start.”

Among the veteran performers returning for 2018 is trumpeter Jon Karels, who first joined MBI in 2014. A Mankato resident, Karels, 20, is majoring in music education at Minnesota State University Mankato. He marched with the Bluecoats in 2017, and is hoping to hone his skills this summer for a successful audition with the Blue Devils in 2019. After the 2017 DCI tour wrapped, he filled a hole for Minnesota Brass for the DCA weekend.

“I knew they needed players and remembered how much fun it was,” he said. “It was also a chance to reconnect with people I’d known for a couple of years and just have fun.”

As to expectations for this season, he said, “For me, I’ll be able to dial in on my technique playing and marching, and to be a self-critic for next year’s auditions (with the Blue Devils). As for the corps, it’s a chance to see new faces and be part of a pretty neat experience.”

The audition process for both horns and drums continues in the week ahead and there is still time for potential members to join the organization.  Horn auditions resume at Brooklyn Center High School on Saturday, February 24 at 9 a.m.  Percussion auditions continue at Brooklyn Center High school on Wednesday, February 28 at 6 p.m.

Editor’s note:  An earlier version of this story included quotes from an additional prospective member.  That individual has determined they won’t be able to march in 2018 and we have removed that portion of this story.

As it continues to build its 2018 educational team, Minnesota Brass is pleased to announce the hiring of Jordan Warfield and Teran Keith as visual caption and color-guard caption heads, respectively.

Warfield, a school-services sales representative at Groth Music in Bloomington, Minn., began his teaching career in 2002 at Irondale High School in New Brighton, Minn., as a horn-line technician with the Marching Knights Band. While with the Marching Knights, the band appeared regularly as a BOA St. Louis Super Regional Finalist and won numerous area contest championships and caption awards. Currently, Warfield is the low-brass music instructor and a visual staff member for the Eastview High School Marching Band in Apple Valley, Minn. His drum-corps experience includes marching with the Cavaliers from 2001 to 2004 and working with the corps’ visual staff from 2010 to 2015. He also has worked with the Blue Stars, Minnesota Brass, Govenaires and various high-school marching programs in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Keith began his color-guard career in 2009 with the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, with whom he marched three seasons; he then performed for two seasons with the Cavaliers. He relocated to Minneapolis in 2015 and works as a software developer for Process Displays in Golden Valley, Minn. He also serves as a board member of the St. Paul-based North Star Circuit.

MBI will hold its 2018 open house and Corps Audition Day Feb. 11 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) at Brooklyn Center High School Brooklyn.