From an East Coast Jazz press release: Tom Chopelas will return to the East Coast Jazz for the 32nd year as corps director and executive director of metropolitan youth services. Fred Ford will return for his tenth season as assistant director (staff/program coordinator). David Wozniak (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1994-1999) and Tim Hebert (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1996-2002) will join by Paul Gaffney on the administrative support team. Returning as visual designer and caption head is Ed Devlin, who has been the East Coast Jazz designer since 1998. He has also written for the Crossmen, Kiwanis Kavaliers and Academie Musicale. Devlin is also the director of perennial WGI world class finalist Blessed Sacrament winter guard of Cambridge, Mass., and the designer for numerous successful high school band programs including King Philip High School from Wrentham, Mass. The guard program will be designed and taught by the team of Andrew Hanenburg, Maureen Kelly and Brandon Block. Hanenburg and Block were the 2003 designers and are currently on the design team of Blessed Sacrament winter guard. Kelly was the principal weapon technician. She teaches the King Philip High School marching band and the St. Ann's winter guard program. New to the corps in 2004 is brass arranger/caption head Jeff Bolduc. Bolduc is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Composition. He minored in music education with courses at Berklee and Salem State College. This fall he began his new job as director of symphonic and jazz bands at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, Mass. For the past eight years, he was the band director at Dunn Middle School in his hometown of Danvers, Mass., having held the same position in Londonderry and Norwood, Mass., prior to that. He has also served as the marching band director for UNH and Norwood High School. His groups have received superior and gold medal ratings at many state and regional festivals. He was actively involved in trips to the Rose Bowl Parade with both Londonderry High School in 1992 and Danvers High School in 2001, serving as arranger for both appearances. Bolduc has been an active composer, arranger, adjudicator and clinician throughout the northeast. He is the owner of Jeffrey Alan Media Music, a production company, and has composed music for television, cable and video productions for many years. He just finished scoring a pilot show being marketed to several kids' cable networks. Bolduc has also written several commissioned pieces for concert bands, including a piece to be premiered by the Massachusetts Western District Concert Band this coming March. Bolduc has written and arranged for many bands and drum corps throughout New England and the UK. Many of these groups have been recognized as state, national, or world finalists. Bolduc has been a DCI judge since 1994. He has also served as a judge for USSBA, MBDA, NESBA, MICCA, Connecticut Medal Bands Circuit, and MMEA and NHMEA district and all-state auditions. Assisting Bolduc will be returning brass staff members Josh Chapman (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1997-98, and in 2000) and Rich Wohl. Taking over the reigns of the East Coast Jazz percussion program will be DCI Hall of Famer Charles A. Poole Jr. Poole will serve as the battery caption head/arranger. Poole is one of the nation's most respected marching percussion specialists. The winner of numerous regional and national snare drum championships, he has served as percussion arranger and consultant for several award winning New England area high schools including Everett High School's "Crimson Tide", which he currently directs. He has held the same position with such DCI corps as the 27th Lancers, Bluecoats and Star of Indiana. In addition, he marched with the Boston Crusaders, winning a national championship in 1970. Since 1994, Charlie has been one of the premier DCI percussion judges and was on the field judging East Coast Jazz in 2003 at the Division II & III World Championships in Orlando. Assisting Poole in the battery caption will be returning snare technician Brandon McNutt (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1997-1998), tenor technician Jack Foulis (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1994-1998), and bass technician Ryan Steber (who marched with the East Coast Jazz from 1992-2000). Dana Atwood will return as the front ensemble arranger. Atwood has been involved with the corps since 1993 as percussion caption head and arranger and as the ensemble coordinator and was responsible for developing the program throughout the course of the 1990's. Under Atwood's supervision the percussion section took high honors at the 1995 World Championships. The corps won the 1998 DCI Division II World Championship when Atwood served as percussion caption and arranger. Atwood has also taught in the King Philip, Norwood, and Andover High School programs as well as at UMASS/Lowell, where he is a graduate of the music program. Atwood marched in the 27th Lancers and Alliance drum corps. Returning to supervise the front ensemble will be Sean Simmer (who marched with the East Coast Jazz in 1997). Simmer was responsible for the wonderful growth and performance in the section in 2003. He is currently a degree candidate at UMASS/Dartmouth and has also studied percussion at North Texas University. Simmer teaches the Dartmouth, Mass., marching band and Percussive Theatre. He marched with the Cadets in 1998. For more info on the corps and information on the 2004 season go to East Coast Jazz's Web site.