The Mandarins roster was recently completed with the addition of Masahito Matsuura ("Masa") from Fukuoka, Japan. Masa is a familiar face to the Mandarins, as he marched in the baritone section in 2001 when the corps won the DCI Division II title in Buffalo, New York.

Masahito "Masa" Matsuura
Masa recently completed the school year at an English language school in the Bay Area. When a spot in the baritone section opened up, Masa immediately expressed interest in marching. Having just concluded the school year, Masa will join the corps this week, just in time for DCI's Weekend of Champions, which will include Northern California shows in Stockton, Hayward and Concord. In addition to drum corps, Masa also has a keen interest in baseball, as he played catcher for his high school team in Japan. His favorite player: "Ichiro, of course!" The Mandarins recently concluded a successful debut of their 2003 show, "Black Market Bazaar," at three Southern California DCI shows. According to the Mandarins staff, audience response was extremely favorable, and the corps is off to a very good competitive start in their first season as a Division I corps. Scores and comments from the fans can be read on the "News, Scores & Reviews" page of the corps' Web site, mandarins.org.