by Christina “MAV”Mavroudis

with a wealth of oral/written historyculled from alumni & boosters

Tradition. Innovation. Class. Santa Clara Vanguard embodies them all,

with even their name defining alegacy of brilliance that resonatesthroughout the drum corpscommunity 35 years afterinception.

Statistically, the corps sweepshonors like an epic. They havewon six Drum Corps Internationaltitles (1973, 1974, 1978, 1981,1989 and 1999), the Spirit ofDisney Award (2001), an AmericanLegion Championship (1970), aVFW Championship (1971), twoCalifornia Color Guard CircuitChampionships (1968, 1978), nineDCI percussion titles (1973, 1974,1975, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1991and 1998), countless I&E captionawards and literally hundreds ofother competitions.

SCV has the distinction ofbeing the only organization tomaintain its membership on theboard of directors of DCI since theorganization’s inception in 1972 bymaking finals every year. They arethe first organization in DCIhistory to have two drum andbugle corps in the top 25 (1993)and the top 17 of DCI (2000).

During its first 25 years, SCVhad a record of finishing in the topthree 94.12 percent of the time. In1987, they won 24 straightcontests. From 1985 through1989, they only finished as low asthird place one time out of 151contests. In 1987, they were theonly corps in history to win threecaptions at the worldchampionship yet not win the title.At the 1971 VFW Nationals, theywere the only national championthat did not win a single caption.

While impressive statisticscreate a body of excellence, it isthe journey that means so much tothe performers and audience.

Pre-history -- The SparksThe year was 1950 and a young girl in

Northern California wanted to take batonlessons, but lacked financial resources. Witha little ingenuity, she set a legacy in motion.

Pat Mancini gathered a quarter from threefriends (75 cents happened to be the cost of alesson) with the promise to teach them whatshe learned. Years and nearly 100 “friends”later, Mancini had a full drum and bell corpstogether -- the Sparks from Sunnyvale, CA.

The bell corps soon transformed into abugle corps, but became a bit too much forthe young lady who had, in the interim,

married and started a family. By 1967, somein the organization wanted to return to a bellcorps.

At a parents meeting on March 6, 1967,citing differences of opinion in artisticdirection of the Sparks, the majority ofparents voted to disband the bugle corps andreturn to a drum and bell corps withmajorettes. Having learned of a proposedreversal, several members waited anxiouslyoutside for the outcome. After the meeting,the adults took them aside and explainedwhat happened. Asked if they wanted to keepgoing on bugles, the kids gave a resounding“yes!” and a new corps was born.

Later that evening, the booster club metfor the first time to elect officers. Musicinstructor and American Legion judge GailRoyer, initially hired by the Sparks, becamethe director for the new corps.

Mike Munoz remembers meeting friendsfor what he thought was a Sparks’ rehearsal.What he found were guys on a porch rippingout threads spelling Sparks on their jackets.“What are you doing?” he queried. When toldthe group was splitting, he joined the corps.

Following that first practice, everyonediscussed name possibilities and narrowedthe choice to three: Cardinals,Spartans and Vanguard. Oneof the name distinctions wasto not pluralize Vanguard,affirming the concept of onefront, one entity.Additionally, insisting oninclusion of the city name,Santa Clara, gave furtherdistinction.

Since that revolutionaryday, the Santa Clara Vanguardcelebrates its birthday everyMarch with a spaghetti dinnerand an introduction to theseason’s show.

1967Big Country, theme from

“The Cardinal,” Man of La Mancha,Born Free, “Burke’s Law” theme,

Almost ThereOne week after its birth,

the new corps marched and won its firstparade, beating the Pinole Princemen andothers in San Francisco’s St. Patrick’s DayParade. Munoz remembers wearing atemporary uniform of black pants and whiteshirts in rainy, freezing weather. “It was socold,” he said, “we poured hot coffee on ourhands to warm up.”

That first season the group was relativelysmall. New uniforms were green satin

blouses with a red stripe, black shoes, hatswith the side turned up and pants fromJCPenney. The color guard wore blackcotton pleated skirts and white majoretteboots.

Some equipment was purchased from theSparks for $300 during the disbandmentnegotiations. Money was borrowed to buy thehorns. Voluntary pledges were also solicitedfrom parents with dues at 50 cents per week.The Stockton Commodores loaned drums andthere were offers to help from others. Fromhumble beginnings came great progress.

The big trip that year was to SouthernCalifornia to compete in the AnaheimKingsmen’s second annual “Festival ofMusic.” The corps placed fourth, losing tothe Lynwood Diplomats by 0.15.

Several brass arrangements from the firstyears came from the pen of TrumanCrawford, arranger for the Chicago Royal Airsand director of the U.S. Marine Corps Drum& Bugle Corps. Other early contributors tothe brass book included Don Angelica, KeithMarkey and Jack Meehan. Royer startedarranging a little, until finally taking over allbrass orchestration from 1970 to 1980.

Just before the final performance at the

California State Open on September 20,Royer honored Vanguard’s first age-outs withthe original “Green Feather Ceremony” atSanta Clara’s Townsend Field. The ceremonyhas continued every year to this day after thefinal run-through on DCI Championship day.

September also marked the debut of theSCV newsletter, “The Vanguardian” (originallycalled “The Flock”). Starting as a two-pagemimeographed circular featuring articles by

SSaanntt aa CCll aarr aa VVaanngg uuaarr dd

The 1967 Santa Clara Vanguard (photo from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1971, at the World Open (photo by Moe Knox from thecollection of Drum Corps World).

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marching members, its continuousmulti-page publication now carries photos,coverage of all SCV programs and, in additionto mailed hard-copies, finds distributionthrough e-mail and the SCV Web site.

1968Procession of the Nobles, theme from

“The Big Country,” Step to the Rear, You are MySoul and Inspiration, Going Out of My Head,

By the Time I Get to PhoenixIn 1968, SCV engaged on its first

Midwest tour to be evaluated against moreexperienced corps in preparation for VFWNationals the following year. While theydid not place high at any of thecompetitions, they successfully gotexposure on the national scene. Broughton board to write and teach percussion anddrill, respectively, were Fred Sanford andPete Emmons, formerly with AnaheimKingsmen and Troopers, who began to helpmold the Vanguard image.

On the local front, the Vanguard colorguard beat the Anaheim Kingsmen on March16 to win their first California Color GuardCircuit Championship. A week later, thecorps won its first standstill. The first publicperformance of Procession of the Noblesoccurred afterward with the U.S. Air ForceAcademy Drum & Bugle Corps as theaudience. The corps also won its first fieldshow August 3 on the Anaheim Kingsmen’sown turf. In October, the corps won its firstof many California State Open Championships.

On June 8 at San Jose State’s SpartanStadium, the corps hosted its first homeshow, “Pacific Procession.” The name derivedfrom the new opener, Procession of theNobles. With the country still mourning theloss of Sen. Robert Kennedy a few daysbefore, the audience was small, but over theyears the show grew to be one of the premiercompetitions in the country thanks in part tothe efforts of Gloria and John Flores.

Procession of the Nobles presented thecorps with two major challenges. No one hadever really played an entire piece in odd-timewhile marching. Odd meters and temposwere reserved mostly for the concert portionof the show. Once conquered, this meterchallenge could be found in many future reps.

1969Procession of the Nobles, Chester Overture,

Mas Que Nada (substituted for Turkey Lurkey Time,in the show until staff realized it was overtime),

You Make Me So Very Happy, By the Time I Get to Phoenix

The 1969 season marked the second yearSCV traveled outside of California and thefirst year the corps went all the way to theEast Coast. The Vanguard finally made itonto a Fleetwood record by placing ninth atthe World Open Finals. At VFW Nationals inPhiladelphia, they missed finals by 0.15,losing to the Argonne Rebels.

In a sobering moment, it was on the wayeast that members of the corps who were 18and over learned what Military Draft Lotterynumber was drawn for their birthdays.

Following VFW, the corps traveled toWashington, D.C., where they played a

standstill on the steps of the Capitol, and toNew York City for “cultural enrichment”before making the long bus trip home. Onthe home stretch, a breakdown resulted inthe corps doing exhibitions in North Platte,NE, and Elko, NV.

1970 -- American Legion ChampionFestive Overture, Procession of the Nobles,Chester Overture, Miracle of Miracles,

Tradition/Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man,Bridge Over Troubled Waters

This was the year SCV “arrived” as anational contender. The season started withthe American Legion State Championships inSacramento on June 27. The corps not onlywon its first championship, but also achievedfirst-ever wins over both the AnaheimKingsmen and the Velvet Knights.

Early the next morning, the corps left onits third tour outside of California. Six nightslater in Racine, WI, they set the world ofdrum corps on fire! Crowd reaction to SCVas they exploded onto the field from theupper corner to the end of the show reacheda peak with thestadium announcershouting,“Wonderful show!Wonderful show!”

SCV finishedjust two pointsbehind thelegendary CasperTroopers. Royersummed it up bestto the corps’ staffon the sidelines,saying, “We’vefinally made it!”

By the next weekend at the NorthAmerican Championship, Santa Clara haddefeated everyone in the country. To leavethe field after such giants as the Troopers wasa defining moment in the corps’ history.

Due to limited finances, SCV was unableto travel to Miami to compete for the VFWNational Championships that August.Instead, they car pooled to Portland, OR, anddefeated old California rivals Kingsmen andVelvet Knights to win both the AmericanLegion National Color Guard and Drum andBugle Corps Championships.

This was the first year SCV performedtheir trademark music from “Fiddler on the

Roof.” For the closer, Royer originallywanted to play Leaving on a Jet Plane.However, Don Angelica talked him into doingBridge Over Troubled Waters. Hardlytroubling, the corps was on its way.

1971 -- VFW Champion, 89.95Overture to the Globe Playhouse from “Henry V,”

Chester Overture, Miracle of Miracles,Tradition/Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man,

GreensleevesBy 1971, there were 45 horns, 19 drums,

24 flags, eight rifles and an American flagparty. The talented staff grew with theaddition of Scott Pierson, Wayne Downey,Dan Smith and Mike Moxley.

Nationally, it was the year of theMidwest/West Combine and the East CoastUnited Organization of Eastern Corps. SCVtraveled to the East Coast once again, but thistime they faced a series of tough losses --known to insiders as “The Boston Massacre.”

VFW Nationals, the equivalent to today’sDCI Championships and the biggest contestin the nation, were held at the Cotton Bowlin Dallas, TX. Capping a 54-day, 17-statetour, which included the World Open, CYONationals and the Danny Thomas Invitational,Vanguard won VFW with a score of 89.95 yetdidn’t take a single caption.

The first major change in the uniformswas made this year as the brass andpercussion switched to white shoes.

1972 -- third place, 87.35Fanfare and Allegro, Now Thank We All Our God,Overture to the Globe Playhouse from “Henry V”,

Wedding Celebration and Bottle Dance,If I Were a Rich Man, Chava Ballet,

Fiddler on the RoofDespite being considered a favorite to win

the first DCI Championship in Whitewater,WI, Vanguard ended up third, behind the

AnaheimKingsmen andBlue Stars. Itwould be the lastshow in which acorps would berequired to docolorpresentation.

Musically, NowThank Thee AllOur God reflectedRoyer’s backgroundas an accomplished

organist. It also included the first renditionof Fred Sanford’s drum solo, The Clock, andwas the first year Santa Clara and theMadison Scouts joined forces to play You’llNever Walk Alone.

SCV also took on a fresh look withcompletely new uniforms -- red tunics, darkgreen pants/skirts, dark green Aussie hatswith curled white feathers and a star over theheart, the only ornamentation on the entireuniform.

1973 -- DCI Champion, 88.65Fanfare and Allegro, Young Person’s Guide to

Drum Corps, Wedding Celebration and Bottle Dance,Tradition, Chava Ballet

The 1973 season was one of intense

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1975, at DCI in Philadelphia, PA (photo byJane Boulen from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1978, at the DCI Championships in Denver, CO(photo by Jane Boulen from the collection of Drum Corps World).

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competition. The only corps to beat SantaClara that year was the Troopers -- once.After two days of DCI Prelims, 14,000 fans inWarhawk Stadium sat in tense silence waitingfor scores. “And in second place, with a scoreof 86.15 . . . the Troopers.” The standserupted into such a deafening roar, theannouncer’s voice could barely be heard.“And in first place, with a score of 88.65, thenew DCI champions, the Santa ClaraVanguard!” The corps had won 27 conteststhat year, including the big one. The drumline went undefeated, something theyrepeated for two consecutive years.

1974 — DCI Champion, 89.5Die Gotterdammerung, Young Person’s

Guide to Drum Corps, Candide, Send in the Clowns, Bottle Dance

In 1974, the corps distinguished itselfwith the first incorporation of dance by adrum corps in the Bottle Dance. Dance guruStanley Knaub was added to the staff.

DCI was held at Cornell University inIthaca, NY, with Madison, Kingsmen and theVanguard as top contenders. Since SCV hadplaced first in 1973, they had the option ofperforming last.

They decided to go on before the othertwo top contenders to get full appreciation ofthe show from the fans and judges. Itproved to be the right decision. Theyfinished No. 1, taking high marchingand drums and tying Madison for generaleffect.

Perhaps what gave the season its greatestdistinction was a simple tune that went on tobecome SCV’s signature, Send in the Clowns.

It’s interesting to note that immediatelyafter the championships, the newly won1974 DCI championship flag went missingfor 28 years! Miraculously, it reappeared atthe 2002 SCV corps banquet.

1975 -- second, 91.0Entrance of the Emperor and His Court,

Dance of the Buffoons, To Life, If I Were a Rich Man, Sabbath Prayer,

Chava BalletThe 1975 corps gave an inspired

performance that earned a perfectscore of 30 in GE and a highpercussion score of 19.4, yet stillplaced them second behind Madison.

1976 -- third, 89.5Harry Janus Suite, “Appalachian Spring,”

Black Orchid, Send in the Clowns

The 1976 season saw a forwardmoving, revolving circle in the drill, a

unique move that was another first for theVanguard. After this season, the Vanguardand Blue Stars were the only two corps tomake DCI finals every year.

1977 -- third, 89.85Overture to a New Era, “Appalachian Spring,

” Make Our Garden GrowIn 1977, Vanguard and most major corps

went to two-valve horns. “Miss Amana”debuted during the 1977season and was the envyof all. For a corps that inits first few years hadeaten in fast-foodrestaurants and humblebreakfasts of corn flakesin a Dixie cup, thiscomplete kitchen-on-wheels was a luxury.

1978 -- DCIChampion, 91.55Overture to a New Era,

Dance of Welcome, Lezghinka,Hopak, If You Believe,

Bottle DanceIn 1978, the corps

performed various partsof the “Gayne Ballet” byKhachaturian. Therewere 34 girls in theguard that year using amaypole, hoops instead of rifles andperforming the popular Bottle Dance.Although taking second or third most of theyear, the corps peaked and won DCI with atop score in marching and a 29.8 in GE.

Ralph Hardimon and Rob Carson wereadded to the drum staff. Carson, along-time member, joined the 10-man snareline one last time and won his second I&Esnare title in his age-out year. The drumportion of Lezghinka is still considered aclassic with its complex score.

The closer, If You Believe from themusical “The Wiz,” was later adopted byboth the SCV Cadet corps and A-corps colorguard as their signature tune.

1979 -- third, 90.7Verdi’s “Requiem,” Adagio, Lezghinka, Hopak,

If You Believe, Bottle DanceIn 1979, more than 300 potential

members came out for auditions, eventhough there were few openings in thecorps. The real strength was in a massivedrum line, including 13 snares, which had

only three openings. The line took highpercussion at DCI Finals.

A topic of conversation among spectatorsand judges that year was the “twirlingbedposts” the color guard used. Whensomeone remarked that they looked likebedposts, Royer replied, “They are!” He hadpicked them up in a hardware store.

1980 -- seventh, 85.6Fanfare -- Symphony No. 4 in F Minor,

Procession of the Nobles, Stone Ground Seven, “Evita” medley, Jupiter

By 1980, most corps executed field drillsof circles, triangles, diamonds, arcs, X’s andserpentine files. Only occasionally andcautiously would asymmetrical patterns beattempted. That year, however, Santa Clara’sentire drill was filled with asymmetricalforms. Once again, the Vanguard led drumcorps to its new future. Though the drill wascalled “extremely innovative,” the activitywasn’t quite ready. Consequently, for the firsttime in DCI history, Vanguard placed belowthird.

DCI released its first “State-of-the-Art”album, professionallyrecorded in concert at theConcord Pavilion show onJuly 1 and featuring SantaClara Vanguard and BlueDevils.

1981 -- DCIChampion, 94.1

Northridge, Young Person’s Guide to Drum Corps, Slava,

Don’t Cry for Me ArgentinaThe 1981 season was the

first that Velco was used fortear-off fronts for the hornline and timpani weremoved into the pit. It wasanother championship year,although many televisionaudiences around thecountry may have thoughtMadison captured the title

since only the Midwest Championships wereshown on PBS. The telecast of the actual DCIFinals was blocked by Canadian restrictions.

1982 -- second, 93.55Movement IV of “Symphony No. 3” by Giannini,

Capriccio Espagnole, Slava, Shaker Melody from “Appalachian Spring,”

Bottle DanceIn 1982, the corps was mentioned in an

American Airlines in-flight magazine article.The corps won DCI Canada and DCI North,back-to-back in one weekend.

In a surprise move, the Bottle Dance wasincorporated into the closer on championshipnight. Unfortunately, due to massive crowdnoise and a misinterpretation of the drummajor’s Aussie toss, each side of the brass linestarted and finished one bar apart. But tothose in the stadium, it didn’t matter -- themove was a welcome sight.

1983 -- third, 92.75Movement IV of “Symphony No. 3” by Giannini,

On the Town, selections from “Appalachian Spring,”Dream Sequence from “The Red Pony”

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1983, at DCI Midwest in Whitewater, WI (photo byArt Luebke from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1987, at the DCIChampionships in Madison, WI (photo by ArtLuebke from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1987, at DCI Midwest in Whitewater, WI(photo by Art Luebke from the collection of Drum Corps World).

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show, which featured a finely tunedreturn of “Phantom of the Opera.” Theguard also returned to all-female.

The season was not withoutcontroversy when it was discovered thattwo members had falsified documents inorder to march. Just days before finalswith the aged-out members dropped, DCIand the board of directors agreed thecorps was not at fault and Vanguard wasable to continue into championship week,albeit with holes in their lines.

The win broke a four-year second-place streak, which made receiving thechampionship flag an emotional cap to thenight, as well as the entire decade’sawe-inspiring record of excellence.

1990 -- sixth, 94.0“Carmen”

Prelude and March, Intermezzo, Toreador Song, Changing of the Guard,

Allegro Moderato (drum solo), La Habanera, Gypsy Dance

The 1990s saw some struggle to stay inthe customary top three, but shows andperformersalways stayedtrue to theVanguard name.

The corpsperformedthemes fromBizet’s“Carmen.” Theproduction wasa fundamentalone, with noprops, masks,uniformchanges ordisappearances,yet was filledwith the usualSanta Clarapassion.

PercussionistScott Johnsonand futuredirector Rick Valenzuela joined the staff.

1991 -- fourth, 94.4“Miss Saigon”

Overture, What’s This I Find?, Sun and Moon, Morning of the Dragon, Wedding Ceremony,

The Fall of SaigonContinuing a thematic show with

emotional storytelling, the corps placedfourth. For the first time, musicians worewhite, militaristic tunics.

Most talked about was the percussionstereophonic interpretation battle sounds,including tenor-induced helicopters. For themembers’ efforts with a drum book writtenby Johnson and Lee Rudnicki, the corps wonhigh percussion.

1992 -- seventh, 91.8“Fiddler On The Roof”

Tradition, Sabbath Prayer, To Life, Tevye’s Dream, Wedding Celebration and Bottle Dance,

AnatevkaThe 1992 season welcomed the Vanguard’s

25th anniversary and was saddened by Royer’s

production included staging, sets, costumesand acting. It also included characters like awizard who gave the corps “magic” throughlevitation.

1987 -- second 97.8Russian Christmas Music, Dance of the Tumblers,

Lezghinka, Hut of Baba Yaga, Great Gate of Kiev

With the dawn of three-valve bugles,Vanguard moved forward by building on theRussian theme show.

Maidens appeared from an empty box andmen appeared in the guard -- another first!Vanguard broke a score of 90 in mid-Julybefore the second tour. By finals, the hornand percussion sections were three-tenthsand five-tenths away from perfection. Afteran undefeated season, it was a heartbreak thatVanguard placed second by a tenth.

However, in the I&E competition, brassstaffer Chris Nalls remembers, “We wonmixed ensemble in 1987 playing the music ofPDQ Bach -- getting two perfect 100s fromthe brass judges.”

1988 -- second, 96.9“Phantom of the Opera”

Music of the Night, Angel of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Masquerade,

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, Track Down the Murderer

Returning to Broadway interpretationsand carrying the theme show to new heights,Vanguard narrowly missed first place. It wasthe first time in the corps’ history the guardhad an all-male rifle line.

The finale featured another piece of magicwith the Phantom vanishing from his thronewhile the corps disappeared from the fieldunder a “cloak of darkness.”

While Vanguard won second by two-tenths of a point, they took high GE andwatched their old friends, the MadisonScouts, place first.

1989 -- DCI champion, 98.8“Phantom of the Opera”

Angel of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Masquerade, WishingYou Were SomehowHere Again, TrackDown the Murderer,

Don JuanTriumphant,

Music of the NightA new high

score of 98.8 wasa by product ofthischampionship

There were many firsts this summer. Itwas the first time a corps ended its show on aquiet note. It was the farthest southVanguard had ever been, performing atFlorida’s EPCOT Center. The first time afront ensemble was allowed and, in adramatic change for color guard, it was thefirst time the guard dropped the moremilitaristic regalia like boots in favor of amore feminine look, with long skirts andparasols.

Finally, it was the first year women wereallowed in the musical instrument sections ofthe corps. That year, three women made thefront ensemble: Carol Everett, KimelaHilleary and Peggy Watson. While thosethree women only marched that one year, itopened the doors to future members.

Surprisingly, SCV won prelims, yet saw itslip away by DCI Finals.

1984 -- third, 97.4Fanfare and Allegro, On The Town,selections from “The Tender Land”

In 1984, four women performed in thehorn line for the first time. There was also afirst woman in the battery (Gigi Cuthbert,snare, 1984-1985).

The show had another quiet ending, themembers wore white pants for the first timeand, for the first time in nine years the corpswon its own show, “Pacific Procession,” andtook high brass at DCI Finals.

SCV was supposed to be part of theOlympics in Los Angeles that year. CurrentDirector Rick Valenzuela remembers, “In1984 we were scheduled to fly to LosAngeles, but we were told by Royer atMemorial Day camp that we weren’t goingbecause they got a different closing act --Lionel Richie -- and we didn’t fit into theschedule. He was quite upset and cryingwhen he told us.”

It probably wasn’t the consolation he waslooking for, but Royer was inducted into theDCI Hall of Fame that year, while Vanguardwas honored as “Junior Corps of the Decade”for the 1970s.

1985 -- second, 97.2Festive Overture, Grover Corners from “Our Town,”

“Tender Land Suite,”Finale from “The Red Pony”

The 1985 season will best be rememberedas “The Year of the Pants.” A kaleidoscopedrill from the pen of Dave Owens featured achange of pants that defied the timeboundaries with its velocity.

Two groups of horn players marched intoa collapsible tunnel in green pants andemerged almost immediately in white pants,all the while play-ing FestiveOverture. 1986 -- second,

97.0Festive Overture,Pictures at anExhibition

Vanguardchanged their showdirection in 1986.The total theatrical

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1989, at DCI Midwest in Whitewater, WI(photo by Art Luebke from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard founder/director, Gail Royer, conducts Send in theClowns after the corps won the 1989 DCI Championships in Kansas City,MO (photo by Steve Rodriggs from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1993, at theDCI Championships in Jackson, MS(photo by Sid Unser from thecollection of Drum Corps World).

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retirement. Vanguard performed selectionsfrom “Fiddler on the Roof,” fulfilling Royer’spromise of doing a full interpretation of thebeloved show, complete with Bottle Dance, inaddition to making several specialanniversary stops in Iowa and Wisconsin.

Jack and John Meehan were added to thebrass staff.

1993 -- seventh, 90.4“A Walton Trilogy”

Music from Johannesburg Festival Overture, Richard III, “Henry V”

Len Kruszecki became the corps’ seconddirector during its 26th season and embraceda new style of symphonic music.

Nearly every bit of the look was changedthat year -- the music differentiated fromanything the corps had attempted, while theguard wore flowing yellow gowns andbrandished swords.

Sadly, just as the season started, Royer, avisionary and legend who guided the corps toprominence, passed away.

1994 -- fourth, 92.3“The Red Poppy”

Hymn to Red October, Triumphal Dance of the Coolies,Chinese Dances, Phoenix, Russian Sailor’s Dance, The Great Gate of Kiev

In 1994, Vanguard returned to thestorytelling style that brought them successthroughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.Pulling music from a familiar Russian pallet,Vanguard wove a story of a love across

nations, of a Chinese dancer and Russiancaptain.

For the finale, a silent company frontfollowed the ever-familiar chords of TheGreat Gate of Kiev as the color guardinstantly changed from Russian Cossacks intolovely Chinese ladies. Called a “visual feast”by the liner notes of the 1994 CDs, this trulywas “a ballet on the football field.”

Future percussion caption heads MurrayGusseck and Jim Casella were added to thestaff and Ed Teleky added Legos to the frontensemble.

1995 -- sixth, 91.9“Not the Nutcracker”

The Clock Breaks, War of the Nuts, Romance and Seduction, Celebration,

The Journey Home through the Pine ForestThe 1995 Santa Clara Vanguard continued

its fascination with Russian composers byusing a variation of Tchiakovsky’s ballettitled “Not the Nutcracker,” a visual and

audio interpretation of the classic Russianfairytale.

It was the year of the pit, with an array ofitems including a spinning wheel, “Blue-ManGroup”-inspired black tubes and percussionracks around the field that provided stereoeffects.

1996 -- fourth, 92.3“La Mer”

Selections from “La Mer,” Oceans and The Skyboat

No props or magic, but pure SCV. It wasa new year, with a new director, a largely newstaff and even new uniforms. Everythingabout the 1996 Santa Clara corps was newexcept for one thing: the tradition ofexcellence and innovation that identify thecorps’ very essence. Vanguard entered its29th year under only its third director,former Vanguard Cadet director and SCValumnus J.W. Koester.

Departing from the storytelling style,Vanguard delved into the realm of Britishbrass bands and French Impressionism withthe music of Oceans and “La Mer.”

Based on the motion and power of theocean, Santa Clara presented a show full ofoceanic imagery, including the color guarddonning flowing, ocean-blue dresses.

Many elements returned, including a “V”end formation, a quiet space for crowdparticipation (“Vanguard!”) and, mostimportant, the return of Send in the Clownsafter a three-year absence.

1997 -- third, 96.9“Fog City Sketches”

A Lonely Street, The City’s Edge, City Dreams,A Day in the Park, The Anxiety Within,

The Golden Gate, The EpilogueAfter eight years, Vanguard began a

surge back to the top, landing in third.Additionally, a persistent and ambitiousguard alternate, David Garcia, eventuallymarched as a lone male guard membersince 1988. The following year, theguard became fully integrated.

The show presented a hint of comedywith A Day in the Park, complete with abarking dog, flying bass drums and even

Charlie’s Angels wannabes. Based onimpressions and abstractions that reflect themoods and essence of the city of SanFrancisco, the show was augmented by thebrilliant designs of Myron Rosander. WhileRosander had been with the corps for years,he hit his stride that season and the corpswas blessed to see it carry over to the future.

Percussion caption head Casellaremembers the highlight of the season beingthe performance at Charlotte, NC. “Thecorps played their hearts out and capturedthe audience with their emotionalperformance,” he said. As a result, it was thefirst time a one-tenth spread separated SCV,Blue Devils and The Cadets.

1998 -- second, 97.9“Copland: The Modernist”

Grohg, Hear Ye! Hear Ye!, Down a Country Lane, Dance Panels, Con brio, Movement 5

The 1998 season saw a second-place finishand a high drum award at DCI Finals. The

program consisted of selections from AaronCopland’s “modernist” works.

During the pre-season, Vanguardperformed on the streets of San Franciscowith the national touring company of “ThePhantom of the Opera”

1999 -- DCI champion, 98.4“Inventions for a New Millennium”The Canyon, “Symphony No. 2,” “Symphony No. 1,” Blue Shades

It was a season of joys and sorrows.Veteran bass drum member Art Velarde waskilled tragically in an auto accident the daybefore Memorial Day weekend camp and hisbrother, Ray, was severely burned. The losscast a pall over much of the season, but inone of the more emotional buildups, thecorps climbed from underdog in prelims totie for first place with rival Blue Devils.

In the snare line and still healing, Raymarched his age-out finals with his Vanguardfamily. I&E snare winner Ercan Erhan -- likethe entire corps that night -- dedicated his“Showcase” performance to Art. The crowd’senthusiastic chants of “S-C-V!” echoed inthe stadium, making it a special night onmany levels.

That year Vanguard presented aninnovative body of work comprised of three ofAmerica’s unique 20th century composers:Philip Glass, Frank Ticheli and SamuelBarber.

2000 -- fourth, 94.7“Age of Reverence”

Prayers of Kierkegaard (Prayer No. 4), Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4, Movement 5,

Piano Concerto No. 1, Movement 3 by Bela Bartok,Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Stained Glass

In October, without providing specificreasons, the SCV board of directors did notrenew Koester’s contract. Like thetermination of Dr. Kruszecki’s tenure, it wasa painful episode in the corps’ history.

Consequently, Vanguard entered its 33rdyear under a fourth director, SCV alumnusRick Valenzuela.

Though the corps came in fourth, Adagiofor Strings was cited by many as the bestballad of the season, poignant for bothmembers and audience.

2001 -- fourth, 95.35“New Era Metropolis”

Alarm, Short Ride on a Fast Machine, Jug Blues and Fat Pickin’ , Variants on a Medieval Tune,

New Era DanceThe corps placed fourth, but won the

coveted Spirit of Disney Award based in parton their “rapping” vocalizations of “New Era”

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1996, at DCI Midwest in Whitewater, WI(photo by Steve Rodriggs from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Santa Clara Vanguard, 1994 (photo by Ron Walloch from thecollection of Drum Corps World).

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with Starting Arts in local schools. As part of the corps’ commitment to

community, Vanguard has annually presentedCultural Concerts since 1971 in the spring.

BoostersThe Santa Clara Vanguard Booster Club is

the heart of the Vanguard organization,providing the majority of operating funds andequipment for the corps. They operate afull-service bingo game four times a week.

The volunteers that work in the BoosterClub help make costumes and props, preparethe uniforms for each season, promote andorganize events, cook, clean and, overall,keep the corps running.

Additionally, with help from long-timebooster Bud Romo, they maintain the vehiclefleet, which at one time included a souvietrailer created in the shape of a bass drum.

2003 and the future“Pathways”

As this article is written, the 2003 seasonis underway. Awaiting all three Vanguardcorps is the unprecedented honor to marchin the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade inPasadena, CA.

It was calculated more than 2,500performers have worn the SCV uniform andthrough it all -- the joy of performance,tragic loss and sheer determination --Vanguard has remained stoically proud: astar of excellence on the chest, a feather oftradition in the Aussie and the heart of avanguard, always cutting-edge innovators.

Some source material was used from the25th anniversary yearbook.

I&ESince the beginning of DCI’s Individual

and Ensemble competitions, Vanguardperformers have not only won dozens ofcaptions, but also have been innovators. Outof necessity, DCI created both the bass andcymbal ensemble captions in 1990 after theSCV lines competed for years in thepercussion ensemble category. They thendominated these fields, winning anunprecedented number of titles.

While members have won solo categories,Vanguard members excel in ensembles asnoted by their wins in percussion (13-plus),mixed, cymbals and bass drum.

In 1971, Rob Carson, was the youngest(14) to ever win a national snare contest. Healso took DCI snare honors in 1973 and 1978.

In a gender-bending year, Maria Petrini,one of the first female brass players, tied withfellow SCV member Marty Rhees in 1985 forthe French horn title and Martha Leesonbecame the first female timpanist to win I&E.

FormermellophoneChris Maciasremembers: “Ifmemory servesright, JeromeAustin was thesopranowinner in1987. Thestory goes that

as he was playing hispiece and a draftblew his sheet music

off the stand. Instead of freaking out, hesimply held the note using a technique calledcircular breathing, calmly reached down andpicked up his music while still holding thenote, then started from where he left off. Ibelieve Jerome ended up studying trumpet atJulliard -- no surprise there.”

CommunityIn addition to the three corps, Santa Clara

Vanguard sponsors several community groupsincluding the Vanguard Dance Company,Children’s Adventures in Movement(4-12- year-olds) and a percussion class. Theorganization has also created a partnership

at the end -- a first for the corps and wildlyfun for the audience.

2002 -- fourth, 95.65“Sound, Shape and Color “

Trivandrum, Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, Movement 2, Copland’s Concerto for

Organ and OrchestraSanta Clara Vanguard drew upon a long

tradition of innovation to present a visual andmusical interpretation for this show. Eachproduction explored evolving geometricshapes and a musically related palette ofcolors. Triangles turned to circles, circles todiamonds -- a demanding drill with equallychallenging music.

For the third year, Vanguard came infourth. While the placement doesn’t yet rivalthe four years of second-place finishes (1985-1988), it was countered by the announcementthat Rick Valenzuela was voted DCI CorpsDirector of the Year.

Santa Clara Vanguard CadetsStarted in 1971 as the “B” corps, the

Vanguard Cadets have an equally amazinghistory. With members aged 12-18 years, itis the primary training group formembership in the A-corps. As a result, it’sno surprise that in most years, one-third ofthe A-corps membership started in SCVCadets. Since 1995, the corps has beendirected by alumnus George Brown who wasvoted DCI Division II Director of the Year in2000.

The corps began field competitions in1973 and has been a DCI Division IIfinalist every year it has appeared at DCIChampionships (1991, 1993, 1998, 2000and 2002).

In 1978, the “B” guard won boththe California Guard Circuit andWestern Regional Color Guardchampionships. In 2000, the corps wonDCI Division II Championships. SCVCadets have also competed in the DCIDivision I Quarterfinals in 1993 and theDCI Division I Semifinals in 2000.

Vanguard AlumniThe Santa Clara Vanguard Alumni

Association was formed in March 1991through the efforts of SCV alumni headed byGeorge Brown, Sue Johnson and DanVannatta. In addition to sponsoring socialevents, the association is dedicated tosupporting the goals and objectives of theVanguard organization.

Vanguard Alumni Corps was first formedin 1997 to celebrate SCV’s 30th anniversaryand is one of the few alumni corps to march apure line -- every performer is a formermember. In 1998, the alumni corps wasestablished as a new permanent corps in theVanguard organization to offer alumniperformance opportunities in parades andstandstills.

In 2002, the Vanguard Alumni Corpssuccessfully put together a special 35thanniversary show and performed inexhibition at DCI Finals in Madison, WI. In2003, the SCV Alumni color guard beganperforming in exhibition at winter guardcontests.

Christina “MAV” Mavroudis owes hercorps immersion to Mr. Lockwood, director of

Granada Hills Marching Band,who, in the summer of 1978,told all band members to gohome and watch DCI.

Mavroudis marched with LosAngeles All-City Marching Band,Royal Cavaliers Youth Band and

a first tour with Blue Devils. She is a chartermember -- and currently performs with --San Francisco Renegades senior corps.

Her writings and photographs haveappeared in Drum Corps News, World ofPageantry/Pageantry Press, Drum CorpsWorld (since 1989), Spirited Monthly, theVanguardian, DCI Year in Review and DCIHighlights. She has been a theatercolumnist, comic book scriptwriter andcreator/editor for science-fiction newsletters.

Theatrically, Mavroudis has beeneverything from custumer to producer ineverything from middle schools tooff-Broadway and Broadway productions.

A survivor of both the 1989 earthquakeand 9-11, Mavroudis has held uniquepositions with Paramount Studios(“Star Trek: TNG”), Sony Playstation, DodgerTheatrical, American Museum of NaturalHistory and currently Stanford University.

She dedicates 2003 to her daughter,Emily, and her family. She can be reachedat corpswriter@earthlink.net, or visit heronline at www.mavroudis.homestead.com.

(Above) 1998 (photo by AlanWinslow); (left) 2002 (photoby Karen Sunmark, both fromthe collection of Drum CorpsWorld).

Santa ClaraVanguardDirector GailRoyer andthe corps’drum majorat DCI Finalsin 1992.Royer retiredafter theseason(photo by SidUnser fromthe collectionof DrumCorps World).

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