Cavaliers to embody past, build for future in 75th anniversary season

KOKOMO, Indiana — During The Cavaliers’ rehearsal camp the final weekend of April, program coordinator David Starnes kept much of the corps’ program information close to the vest. At the time the corps was just mere days away from revealing its 75th anniversary programming plans to the drum corps world.

But he did make one thing abundantly clear.

“People will hear things that they've heard before,” he said.

Just a few dozen hours later, fans across the drum corps world were introduced to the first of many familiar references embedded within the 75th edition of the Rosemont, Illinois corps.

The Cavaliers’ 2023 program title, “Where You’ll Find Me” — announced on May 1 — provides a direct reference to lyrics from its corps song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and has pointed fans in the direction of a fitting production to honor and celebrate the corps’ 75th anniversary.

“One of the things we're going to be doing this summer is really capitalizing on the character of the drum corps, what it means to be a Cavalier, bringing back the identity of the drum corps and reinforcing what it is that they've done for the activity over 75 years,” Starnes said. “It's a story book in itself, to think about how the drum corps activity has followed The Cavaliers from their inception in 1948 to where they are in 2023.”

 

While Starnes alluded to the fact that many of the corps’ design plans for 2023 will harken back to moments throughout The Cavaliers’ history and evolution, he noted that those references won’t necessarily be direct cut-and-pastes.

“People will think that they're hearing things that they've heard before, that might be updated and more modernized,” he said.

An introspective production alongside the celebration of a momentous anniversary, according to Starnes, provides the perfect opportunity for The Cavaliers to solidify, reimagine, and reconnect with the corps’ identity.

“The big thing that we're trying to do this year is create an identity, and bring back the identity and the brand of the Cavaliers,” he said. “There are some things that we're going to try that have been years since people have done, that we’re bringing back, and bringing a fresh retrospective presented in 2023.”

“Identity” as a whole, though, isn’t the only thing The Cavaliers are aiming to bring back from their iconic past.

In crafting a production that honors the many peaks and highlights of 75 years’ worth of Cavaliers history, Richard Saucedo — the brass arranger behind many of the Rosemont, Illinois corps’ highest-scoring productions, including each of its five World Championships across a seven-year span in the early 2000s — returned to the fold for the 2023 season to help bring that history to life.

“It's very on-brand Cavaliers,” brass caption co-manager Matt Owen said. “It's going to be extremely exciting. We’ve got Richard Saucedo back, so it's going to be dope.”

 

Ultimately, as Starnes noted, to bring to life a production that connects past, present and future in a milestone year isn’t just about where The Cavaliers are headed.

It’s a nod to hundreds and thousands of individuals formerly involved with the corps who will have the chance to reconnect with their own experiences with the Green Machine.

“It's also for the alumni, and it's also for the members that love The Cavaliers from years gone by,” he said. “We're going to bring some special moments back to the field; people are going to remember why they love drum corps, why they love The Cavaliers, and why this activity is the best thing ever.”

According to Starnes, current corps members have expressed equal excitement about The Cavaliers’ 2023 program.

Just the announcement of the corps’ plans to bring back its iconic cavalier-style headwear, he said, inspired a resounding reaction at one of the corps’ spring camps.

“We've had several conversations at camps with the membership about what it feels like to be a member of The Cavaliers,” Starnes said. “I announced that we're bringing the hat back, and with something as simple as that, the room erupted in applause, because that's The Cavaliers that they grew up watching. When you start saying that you’re now a part of that heritage, it's unbelievable.”

 

Cavaliers drum major Ian Callard and euphonium player Miles Bowden both reiterated that excitement, not only for the 2023 production itself, but for the opportunity to honor and embody decades of history.

“Everyone is loving the show,” Callard said. “It's very much a Cavaliers show. I definitely think the alumni will be fans of this show, as well as anyone else who watches it.”

“I think (the show is) everything that The Cavaliers are,” Bowden added. “It's just fantastic. The style is just ‘Cavaliers’ — the chords, the music, the rhythms are just ‘Cavaliers,’ and I think it’s going to be a year to remember.”

Of course, the drum corps experience goes far beyond the notes and movements performed on the field. The Cavaliers’ recent rehearsal camp April 28-30 at Taylor High School in Kokomo was paramount in setting the tone for what that experience will look like in the summer of 2023.

 

Held after the conclusion of the indoor percussion, color guard and winds seasons, the weekend camp provided one the corps’ opportunities to bring together and unify all of its sections in advance of spring training “move-ins,” planned for late May at Adrian College in Michigan.

“Having all the sections together is really exciting, especially having the color guard with everyone else, because we haven't seen the guard since January,” Callard said. “We’re bringing all of the elements together now that (members have) worked on in their individual sections.”

While honoring 75 years of The Cavaliers’ family plays a key role in the corps’ plans on the field, creating a family atmosphere within the 2023 corps itself is an equally important goal.

“We’re trying to establish the culture,” Callard added. “We’re really starting to make it feel like one cohesive group, so that going into spring training, we all feel like a family already.”

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