Calgary Stampede Showband Competes Alongside the World’s Best in Indiana

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The Calgary Stampede Showband competed at Drum Corps International, taking the field alongside some of the best marching bands in the world and showcasing the Stampede spirit south of the border over the past week.

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The 140 members of Calgary’s famed marching band performed at the DCI Open Class Finals in Marion, Indiana on Tuesday night, earning a banner as International Class Champions and a ticket to the World Championship preliminaries at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday. The band was the only participant in the international class this year.

“With Drum Corps International having this new class, it’s definitely something we look forward to being more involved with in the future, as well as more groups from around the world being able to participate in DCI,” said Aaron Park, manager of education programs for youth with the Calgary Stampede Foundation.

“It’s an incredible learning experience for the students just to be able to observe and see some of these different groups from all over North America, let alone now be able to compete alongside them; It’s definitely special.”

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Bria Laurendeau is a member of the band’s honor guard, flag-waving dancers, and other equipment as part of the visual component of the field performance. Since June, she said, the band has been practicing in overdrive for the big competition, spending up to 12 hours a day rehearsing and perfecting their multiple performances.

“I know this is going to sound crazy, but over 1,000 hours of rehearsal have gone into our shows that we’ve brought to the United States this year,” said Laurendeau.

While the band did not proceed to the world championship finals, finishing 26th out of 35 ensembles in the preliminaries, it was an incredibly special experience for some of the band members, performing in the same field as the top tier. bands they have idolized throughout their tenure in marching band.

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“I’m someone who has looked up to a lot of the world-class groups since I was probably 12 or 13 years old,” Laurendeau said.

“There aren’t many groups in Canada that have the privilege of having the Stampede Showband come in and represent the city and even the country,” said Laurendeau. “So to be able to share our hard work and passion with a group that shares our love of marching arts and music is just amazing.”

In addition to their field shows, the band also competed at the SoundSport International Music & Food Festival, where they put on a show more akin to their regular set on the steps of the Saddledome at Stampede, and Drumline Battle, which pits top-tier percussion groups against each other. level with each other. other.

The band is set to return to Calgary from Indianapolis by bus on Sunday.

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Twitter: @miguelrdrguez