Zephyrus is taking its audience on an epic expedition with its 2026 production.
The Open Class corps’ program, “Neverlost,” presents an original fantasy adventure, with characters following a quest to rediscover the mythical lost ancient city of Z.
Ultimately, “Neverlost” explores the human threads that keep cultural identity thriving, highlighting the shared traditions, technologies and stories that connect communities across distance and time.
“We are going to be presenting a show that is a journey through myth and memory, a rediscovery of roots and ultimately the discovery that culture survives in the people who carry it forward,” Zephyrus brass arranger Oscar Ban said.
Zephyrus’ design team was heavily inspired by the life of British geographer and explorer Percy Fawcett. In 1925, Fawcett disappeared in Brazil on an expedition to find a city he theorized once existed in the Amazon region.
Fawcett made this claim due to the fact that he saw similar cultures, agricultural processes, and technologies across different indigenous groups that had no obvious contact with each other. He dubbed the mythical city, “Z,” which stood out to Zephyrus’ design team.
“The parallel (to Fawcett’s story) for us is that we are a young, growing drum corps out of Oklahoma, but we come from this great marching arts tradition,” Ban said.
“Neverlost” will be presented in four movements, titled “Launch,” “Shelter,” “Lost in the Jungle,” and “Ancient Melodies.”
“Launch” is an energetic opening movement that signifies the start of the expedition, featuring “Senegal Calling” by American jazz fusion group Steps Ahead, intercut with pieces of the theme to the BBC documentary series, “Eyewitness.”
“We’re going to continue our tradition of a very groovy, rhythm section-heavy approach with the front ensemble,” artistic director Aaron J. Morton said. “We like our openers to have this sort of off-the-beaten-path groove to them, and that’s definitely back in full force this year.”
The production’s second movement, “Shelter,” will see the corps taking cover from the rain inside of a cave. A 1979 piece by Motown artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright titled, “With You I’m Born Again,” will serve as a ballad.
From there, “Lost in the Jungle” brings forth a high-energy chase sequence that will showcase original music by staff members Aaron J. Morton, Mike Hill and Garrett Dwyer. The final movement of “Neverlost” will serve as the discovery of the Lost City of Z, accompanied by Toto’s 1982 hit, “Africa.”
“We were really excited by the ‘Africa’ choice as our tune that would be super recognizable compared to our other tunes that might be new to the football field,” Ban said.
Complementing the music, the concept of navigation will serve as a central theme and motif of the production. Visual cues like maps and compasses will be prevalent throughout the show’s design.
“Zephyrus is going to continue doing an ever-evolving version of our approach to drum corps, which is to make sure that the visual design is a flashy mix of old school and new,” Morton said. “We like to sneak in some geometric drill with well-trained body work.”
After a multi-year evaluation process, 2026 will be Zephyrus’ first season as a full member of DCI’s Open Class division. Morton and Ban agreed that buy-in from Zephyrus’ members and staff is at an all time high as the corps prepares for the summer.
“This is the show I’ve been most excited about since we started the corps five years ago,” Morton said.
Zephyrus’ last rehearsal camp ahead of its June 19 start to spring training will be June 13-14 in Catoosa, Oklahoma. The camp will also play host to woodwind players and high school students for a one-day drum corps experience as part of the Zephyrus Marching Academy.
Coming into 2026, Zephyrus has been making strides to become as financially accessible to its students as possible. The corps reduced its tuition rate by nearly $1,000 and significantly raised the amount of financial aid available to its performers.
“We’ve done more than we’ve ever been able to do before to make this experience more accessible to more members, in terms of financial assistance and lowering tuition,” Morton said.
Zephyrus is set to debut “Neverlost” on the DCI Summer Tour, July 11 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“Our hope is that this season will launch us straight into the next one,” Morton said. “This is the beginning of a new era for Zephyrus.”
