Richard Iannessa - DCI Hall of Fame

Richard Iannessa

 

Inducted in 2009

Colleagues and friends remember the late Richard "Ike" Iannessa as an innovator who commanded great respect.

Starting with the Hyde Park (now Boston) Crusaders, Iannessa was a skilled percussionist and drum major. After finishing his performing career as conductor of the Cambridge Caballeros in 1960, Iannessa began a long and illustrious career of teaching, designing, and adjudicating.

"[He] was a master of design and staging and well ahead of his time," recalls former 27th Lancers performer Terence Keenan. Innovations like the use of tape recorders for judges, new approaches to staging and field enterance, the development of dance and choreography for the color guard, and the use of video as a tool for critique and performance analysis can all be traced to Iannessa's vision.
Friend Francis Morris recalls Ike's two loves, "Love of drum corps and love of family."