Drum Corps International's SoundSport division will host an exciting competitive event in conjunction with the DCI Southeastern Championship in Atlanta on Saturday. Five teams are scheduled to perform as the opening acts of the show with a lineup that includes groups from across the Southern stretch of the United States.
Teams performing on Saturday, July 25, at the Georgia Dome include Solaris, Florida Xpress, Sonus Brass Theater, the Rocketeers and the University of North Georgia Golden Eagle Band.
SoundSport events showcase ensembles of any instrumentation and any skill level, creating local, low-cost and entertaining performance opportunities for participants. Teams of five or more members of any age will perform shows that are five to seven minutes in length on a "stage" that is 20 yards deep and 30 yards wide.
Formed in October 2014, Solaris will be making its team debut on Saturday. Originating from another Florida all-age corps, the nucleus of the group has been working and marching together for several years. Director Anthony Parisi says that performing in Atlanta has been the team’s main goal this summer.
“Our ensemble is looking forward to kicking off the Atlanta weekend in style and showing the drum corps world what can be done with very limited time and resources,” Parisi said.
Their show, “Suspense: the Music of Bernard Herrmann,” will highlight famous musical works from Psycho, North by Northwest and Marnie.
“We found this cinematic music to be enjoyable and challenging for our members to play and wonderful for our color guard to perform,” Parisi said. “We hope the audience enjoys it as much as we have.”
In its first year as an all-age DCI SoundSport group, Sonus Brass Theater will also be making a team debut at the Georgia Dome. In 2014, the decision was made to transition from DCA competition and pursue SoundSport because of the opportunities to perform at large DCI shows.
“We want to continue to provide the drum corps experience for people of all ages in Northern Virginia and the surrounding area,” Sonus PR coordinator Anthony Fiumara said. “The members are excited to perform in the Georgia Dome and watch all of the World Class DCI corps compete.”
Although Sonus Brass Theater has already performed in several parades this season, the Atlanta SoundSport event will be the largest stage on which many of the team’s young members have performed. Their show, “European Vacation” will country-hop to four European Destinations: The UK, Spain, France, and Hungary.
“In between vacation stops, the audience will be treated to “Holiday Road” from the classic movie, “National Lampoon's European Vacation,” Fiumara said.
The SoundSport event this weekend will take place just after gates open at the stadium, and will be the opening act to the drum corps show later that afternoon/evening. The events will take place on the football field of the stadium and admission is free with a ticket to the drum corps show.
DCI Atlanta Southeastern Championship
Saturday, July 25 | The Georgia Dome
10:30 a.m. Gates Opens
11:00 a.m. Solaris – Minneola, FL
11:10 a.m. Florida Xpress – Orange Park, FL
11:20 a.m. Sonus Brass Theater – Woodbridge, VA
11:30 a.m. Rocketeers – Huntsville, AL
11:40 a.m. University of North Georgia Golden Eagle Band – Dahlonega, GA
2:00 p.m. First drum corps steps off