Representatives of Drum Corps International’s voting membership met in Indianapolis last week for a regularly scheduled post-2015 season wrap-up and pre-2016 season planning meeting.

Agenda items for the two-day session focused primarily on the achievements, successes and challenges of the recently completed 2015 season as well as the 2016 Drum Corps International Tour schedule and related business operations.

“As part of our annual scheduling process, we have at this point a near final first draft of where and when the more than 100 events which make up the 2016 DCI Summer Tour will take place,” DCI Director of Events Susan Kuehnhold said. “This meeting of the corps helps us to solidify lineups, penciling in which corps will perform where based on their desired travel and performance schedules.”

The 2016 DCI Tour is anticipated to kick off on Thursday, June 23, with more than 45 corps in two divisions crisscrossing the United States to compete at a number of events on route to the DCI World Championships August 11-13 in Indianapolis. Additional performance opportunities will engage SoundSport and DrumLine Battle teams as well.

The complete DCI Tour schedule is expected to be released on DCI.org the week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, November 18.

Also spending time in front of the directors and representatives in attendance on Friday was DCI Artistic Director Michael Cesario. Cesario shared the latest updates and developments within DCI’s adjudication structure.

A biennial process, 2016 will mark a Rules Congress year—a time when corps can submit rules change proposals and suggest updates to the adjudication system and related philosophy for consideration during DCI’s annual winter business meetings, scheduled for late January.

Photo courtesy of Conrad Piccirillo.