From a Mandarins press release: "The Mandarins made a successful public debut at the San Francisco Chinese New Year's Parade on Saturday, Feb. 15. This internationally televised event is the largest Chinese New Year's event held in the United States. "Appearing in full uniform, the corps performed their 2003 parade tune, "Russian Christmas Music." While the weather was a concern, the corps was able to conclude the parade route before the rains came! And to prove that there are drum corps fans everywhere, during one of the stops in the parade, the drum line obliged an excited Southwind alumn by playing the "street beat" as he videotaped. "See you in Orlando!" shouted the appreciative fan as he resumed his place in the crowd. "The corps is now looking forward to its next camp, to be held this weekend Feb. 21 – 23, at Wheatland High School. The corps will be making significant progress with their 2003 show; it is anticipated that the entire brass book will be completed at this camp! Both the percussion section and color guard will also be working on portions of the Mandarins' 2003 production, which features the works of Alexander Borodin and Camille Saints-Sa?«ns. "There remain a couple of openings in the baritone/euphonium line, along with a potential spot in the contra and mellophone sections. Persons interested in auditioning for these positions are encouraged to attend the February camp. Further information can be obtained from the corps' Web site, mandarins.org. "The percussion line and color guard are auditioning individuals on a case-by-case basis. Persons interested in the auditioning for either these two sections should e-mail the appropriate caption head through the link provided on the "corps info and history" page of the corps' Web site. "The Mandarins will be entering the competitive arena this year as a Division I corps for the first time, with travels through Northern and Southern California in the early season. The corps' DCI tour will start with the DCI Southwestern Championship, to be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The remainder of the Mandarins tour will include appearances in Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania before concluding the season at the DCI World Championships in Orlando, Fla."