Drum & Bugle Corps

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

Check out our latest video.

#MBI15 #Madcircus

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.