The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class junior competitive drum and bugle corps based in Tempe, Arizona. The corps is a member of Drum Corps International (DCI).
History In 2001, a group gathered in the Phoenix, Arizona, area with the intent of starting a drum and bugle corps. They formed the Board of Directors of the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts, a non-profit organization with the goal of "enhancing the culture of music, dance, and the performing arts in Arizona." They then formed The Academy Brass & Percussion Ensemble, which made numerous local appearances from 2001 to 2003, including at the Southwest Corps Connection.
In the summer of 2004, the corps added a color guard, changed the name to The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and entered the field of competition. They marched a short season of only four weeks and six shows in Arizona and California. The next year, the corps expanded its boundaries, performing in ten shows. In 2006, The Academy appeared in seven states, including the DCI Division II & III World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, where the corps capped their season with the Division II title.
In 2007, The Academy moved into Division I (World Class) competition. In 2016, The Academy had their most successful season since moving to World Class. At the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, The Academy placed 11th, becoming the first corps to make its Finals debut since the Seattle Cascades in 2002.
Show summary (2001–2026) +KeyGoldenrod background indicates DCI Open Class ChampionPale green background indicates DCI World Class SemifinalistPale blue background indicates DCI World Class Finalist
Year Repertoire Score Placement 2001 Excerpts from Drum Corps PastMalambo (from Estancia) by Alberto Ginastera / Amber Waves by Morton Gould / When a Man Loves a Woman by Calvin Lewis & Andrew Wright Did not attendWorld Championships 2002 Ya Gotta Try by Sammy Nestico / Grand Canyon Fanfare by James Newton Howard / Cadillac of the Skies (from Empire of the Sun) by John Williams 2003 A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten / Vide Cor Meum (from Hannibal) by Hans Zimmer / The Challenge & Promise (from Millennium Celebration) by Gavin Greenaway 2004 DebutSymphony for Brass and Percussion, Mvt. 3 by Alfred Reed / Chanson Mélancolique by Morley Calvert / Jubilation (from Symphony for Brass and Timpani) by Herbert Haufrecht 2005 Piano Concerto No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich 2006 ¡danzón!Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo / Patria by Ruben Blades / El Cumbanchero by Rafael Hernández 95.625 1st PlaceChampion 2007 The ChaseThe Chase, The Villain, The Hero, The Woman, At the Jitterbug Club, The Love Theme, The Chase & ConclusionOriginal Music by the Staff of The Academy 84.500 13th PlaceDivision ISemifinalist 2008 Vienna NightsFreud’s Dream, Mozart’s Theme, Café Life, Gallop, Notturno & Finale - Alla TurkaAll from Vienna Nights by Philip Wilby 78.850 18th PlaceWorld Class 2009 The AscentCall of the Mountain (from Gates of Gold) by Joseph Curiale / An Alpine Symphony, Op. 64 by Richard Strauss / Kingfishers Catch Fire by John Mackey 83.750 14th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2010 Strangers In ParadiseOverture (from Prince Igor) by Alexander Borodin / Aquarium (from The Carnival of the Animals) by Camille Saint-Saëns / Selections from Prince Igor & Polovstian Dances and Chorus (from Prince Igor) by Alexander Borodin 84.050 14th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2011 (RE)Little Fugue in G Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach / Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre / Fly by Ludovico Einaudi / Lollapalooza by John Adams 82.650 15th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2012 Left of Spring: Stravinsky RevisitedRite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky / The Song of Purple Summer (from Spring Awakening) by Duncan Sheik & Steven Sater 81.900 15th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2013 Piano ManWilkommen (from Cabaret) by John Kander & Fred Ebb / Alabama Song by Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht / Falling In Love Again by Fredrick Hollander & Sammy Lerner / Piano Concerto No. 2, Mvt. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Piano Man by Billy Joel 78.200 19th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2014 Vanity FairRondeau by Jean-Joseph Mouret / Crown Imperial by William Walton / What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele & George David Weiss / Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli / Jazz Suite No. 2, Waltz No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt / Symphony No. 7, Mvt. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven / Paris Sketches by Martin Ellerby 81.875 16th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2015 A Step in TimeOverture & Chim Chim Cher-ee (both from Mary Poppins) by The Sherman Brothers / A Shooting Star (from Mary Poppins) by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe & The Sherman Brothers / A Spoonful of Sugar (from Mary Poppins) by The Sherman Brothers / Practically Perfect (from Mary Poppins) by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe & The Sherman Brothers / Galop (from Masquerade Suite) by Aram Khachaturian / Step in Time, Feed the Birds & Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (all from Mary Poppins) by The Sherman Brothers 81.825 15th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2016 Drum Corpse BrideMain Titles (from Corpse Bride) by Danny Elfman / Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev / Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas / Suggestion Diabolique by Sergei Prokofiev / Unchained Melody by Alex North & Hy Zaret / Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 (The Funeral March) by Frédéric Chopin 86.100 11th PlaceWorld ClassFinalist 2017 By a HareMorning Mood (from Peer Gynt Suite) by Edvard Grieg / Hunting Wabbits by Gordon Goodwin / Overture to The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini / Danse Bohème by Georges Bizet / Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner / Habanera by Georges Bizet / Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt / Anvil Chorus (from Il trovatore) by Giuseppe Verdi 84.188 14th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2018 AcademicThe Imitation Game by Alexandre Desplat / Annie Lisle by H. S. Thompson / Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms / Overture to The School for Scandal by Samuel Barber / The Four Sections by Steve Reich / Keating's Triumph (from Dead Poets Society) by Maurice Jarre 84.563 15th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2019 The Bridge BetweenDance 1, Mvt. 1 by Oliver Davis / Equilibrium by Paul Lovatt-Cooper / London Bridge Is Falling Down (Traditional) / Bridge over Troubled Water by Paul Simon / Horizons by Paul Lovatt-Cooper / Original music by Steven Vento 84.300 15th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 ExposedFame by David Bowie / Lingus by Michael League (Snarky Puppy) / Paparazzi by Lady Gaga / Bury a Friend by Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell / Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. / Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff / Hello It's Me by Lou Reed No scored competitions 2022 A World of My CreationPrelude by Steve Vento / Alice's Theme by Danny Elfman / The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini / Oompa Loompa (from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) by Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse / Anthem by Bjoern Ulvaeus & Benny Goran / Metropolitan Theme by Laurence Roger Fast / Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) by Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse 82.200 16th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2023 Sol Et LunaSun & Moon and Fate Written in The Stars by Ryan Erick Adamsons & Fred Emory Smith / And So It Goes by Billy Joel / Rocket to The Moon by Thomas Bergersen 82.500 18th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2024 When Opportunity KnocksCan You Hear the Music? (from Oppenheimer) by Ludwig Goransson / Golden Hour by Jacob Lawson / Predator by John Psathas / Can You See Me? by Fred Emory Smith / Someone Like You (from Jekyll & Hyde) by Frank Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse & Steve Cuden / You Can't Stop Me by Fred Emory Smith / Sailing Into Dawn (from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) by Bear McCreary 82.175 18th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist 2025 London FogCan't Fight City Halloween by Michael Giacchino & Natalie Holt / Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar / We Could Form an Attachment by Kris Bowers / Made of Water by Thomas Bergersen 83.313 17th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist2026In the Center of the RingThe Greatest Show (from The Greatest Showman) by Benji Pasek & Justin Paul / Millionaire (from Slumdog Millionaire) by A. R. Rahman & Srimathumitha / Original music by Richard Saucedo / Never Enough (from The Greatest Showman) by Benji Pasek & Justin Paul / The Greatest Show on Earth & Ghost Love Score by Tuomas Holopainen & Marko Hietala (Nightwish) 82.525 17th PlaceWorld ClassSemifinalist
References
External links Official website