The Bluecoats are coming..
Earlier this week, the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps debuted its 2005 program, “Caravan,” which features the essence of Ellington’s big band standard by the same name. The group will be returning to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on July 31 in conjunction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities.
“The Bluecoats is as professional an organization as any of the others we are bringing in,” said Jacquelin Woodring, director of marketing and events for the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Based in the Akron/Canton area, the Bluecoats consist of nearly 150 young musicians ages 15-22. Most of the members are over 18 and are college music majors.
“The members … are very high caliber,” said David Glasgow, executive director of the Bluecoats. “They are the very best and brightest in their music programs.”
This summer, the Bluecoats will represent Northeast Ohio as they travel over 12,000 miles through 40 cities. As a member of Drum Corps International, a non-profit organization that facilitates drum and bugle corps competitions throughout the world, the group will have the opportunity to compete internationally. They will compete 35 times on small and large scales to earn both awards and prestige within the DCI family.
The Bluecoats have finished as a DCI world finalist in each of the last 17 years. Last season, they finished sixth overall, their highest finish to date. Next month, the Bluecoats return to show off exactly what has taken them to the World Championship Finals over and over again. Only this time, they will be bringing friends.
The July 31 performance at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium will include seven other DCI drum and bugle corps from across North America. The bands will square off for just one of the Bluecoats’ 35 competitions.
In addition to providing high-quality entertainment through competition, the locally-based group also gives the area something else to be proud of during the Hall of Fame Festival.
“The (Hall of Fame) festival itself has roots in this community … so, we always want to remember the local community,” Woodring said. “(The Bluecoats) do a nice job and are high profile in terms of pageantry … we are proud to be partnering them.”
The Bluecoats roots date back to 1972 when the organization sprung up as an outgrowth of the Canton Police Boy’s Club and the J. Babe Stearn Center. Therefore, according to Glasgow, the Bluecoats take pride in their Northeast Ohio roots. As a result, members are carefully selected to represent the area.
