Raiders

The Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps is an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Burlington, New Jersey.

The corps was organized in the fall of 1990 by founder George Lavelle, Jr. with his father George Lavelle Sr., Trent Smith, Clarence Jackson, and Anthony Bestreski joining him on the board of directors . After one year of planning and practice, and with only 25 marchers, the Raiders first took the field June 22, 1991. They competed locally in both the Garden State Circuit and Drum Corps East competitions that inaugural year, placing second at the Garden State Championships.

The following year the corps almost doubled in size and made their first trip to the Drum Corps International (DCI) Division II/III World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. This was the first of many successes the corps would achieve. In 1993, the corps benefited from an influx in membership, which with just over 60 people required them to compete in DCI Division II. The Raiders remained in Division II where they peaked with 95 members in 1995. 1993 was also the year in which the Raiders won their first of seven Garden State Circuit Championship titles.

The Raiders’ leadership decided to move back into Division III in 1996 in order to stabilize the corps financially. This apparently was the right decision; the Raiders became part of the elite DCI finalist ranks. They also took the award for high brass in 1996 at the Allentown Regional competition. Over the following eleven years, the Raiders made the DCI DIII Finals nine times and won the 2005 DCI Division III World Championship.

In 2007, the Raiders returned to Division II and placed 6th at the DCI Championships in Pasadena, California.

Since DCI combined Divisions II and III into Open Class in 2007, the Raiders have been a finalist every year, placing as high as fifth at Michigan City and Indianapolis, Indiana in 2010.

[A+ Education and Performing Arts; Jodina Beyea; Drum Corps International]

Year	Position	Score	Theme/Songs
1991			Russian Sailor's Dance (from The Red Poppy) * To the Last Whale * Victory at Sea
1992	319	54.700	Victory at Sea
1993	215	69.100	Queen - Who Wants To Live Forever * Flash Gordon * Bicycle Race * Bohemian Rhapsody
1994	214	74.400	Jesus Christ Superstar - Overture * Heaven on Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * I Don't Know How to Love Him (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Simon Zealotes (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Superstar (from Jesus Christ Superstar)
1995	211	77.300	A Chorus Line - I Hope I Get It (from A Chorus Line) * At The Ballet (from A Chorus Line) * The Music and The Mirror (from A Chorus Line) * One (from A Chorus Line)
1996	307	79.000	Sidewalks of New York - East Side, West Side * Take the 'A' Train * Harlem Nocturne * Central Park * Autumn in New York * Manhattan * East Side, West Side
1997	316	79.500	It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing * Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me * En Fuego (On Fire) * What a Wonderful World * Air Mail Special
1998	308	81.500	A Solstice Celebration / Winter Solstice - My Favorite Things (from The Sound Of Music) * Sometimes in Winter * O Holy Night * Snow
1999	306	84.400	A Trilogy of Darkness - Master of Puppets * Jazzhattan Suite * Trilogy
2000	312	80.750	Traditions and Innovations - Piano Concerto No. 2 * Kashmir * Sunrise
2001	302	88.500	Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade (from Pictures at an Exhibition) * Gnomus (from Pictures at an Exhibition) * The Old Castle (From Pictures at an Exhibition) * Hut of Baba-Yaga (from Pictures at an Exhibition) * Great Gate of Kiev (from Pictures at an Exhibition)
2002	308	78.300	Balance - Festive Overture * Masque * Fifth Symphony, Mvt. 4
2003	305	81.500	Carmina Burana - Carmina Burana
2004	306	79.650	Adams: A Sound Journey - Wild Nights (from Harmonium) * Short Ride in a Fast Machine * Harmonielehre - Movement III * Fearful Symmetries
2005	301	88.800	Jesus Christ Superstar - Overture * Heaven on Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * John 19:10 (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Garden of Gethsemene (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Simon Zealotes (from Jesus Christ Superstar) * Jesus Christ Superstar
2006	303	80.500	Coast to Coast - Awayday * Letter From Home * Strawberry Soup
2007	206	84.400	West Side Story - Prologue (from West Side Story) * Cool (from West Side Story) * I Have A Love (from West Side Story) * One Hand One Heart (from West Side Story) * Mambo (from West Side Story) * Tonight (from West Side Story)
2008	209	86.250	Deep Blue - Selections from A Perfect Storm * Original
2009	206	88.250	Isle of Hope - American Elegy * Hungarian Peasant Songs * Romanian Dance for Orchestra, Sz. 47a * Swineherds Dance * Gan Ainm * Barber of Seville
2010	205	89.150	Platinum Celebration - Celebration Fanfare * Exultate * Exhilaration * New Beginnings
2011	35	57.500	Bluecentric - Blue Shades * Bluesette * Blue Rondo a la Turk and Bluette * Rhapsody in Blue
2012	32	61.050	Warped - Ripple from Warped * Shift from Warped * Bend and Suppress from Warped * Warp! from Warped
2013	31	64.900	The Raven: A Descent Into Madness! - Suddenly, There Came a Tapping from (The Raven: A Descent Into Madness!) * The Raven (from The Raven: A Descent Into Madness!) * Nevermore (from The Raven: A Descent Into Madness!)
2014	31	66.250	Seasons of the Earth - October * Month of the Cold Moon (January, 1839) * Into the Joy of Spring * Kingfishers Catch Fire
2015	36	56.675	From the Ashes - Olympiada * Fanfare - A Vision and A Dream * Our Yesterdays Lengthen Like Shadows * Into The Light
2016	33	64.850	Industrial Evolution - Fearful Symmetries * The Hymn of Acxiom * Ballet Sacra
2017	36	63.525	Iconic - Who Wants to Live Forever * Beat It * Let it Be * Knights of Cydonia * Bohemian Rhapsody * Runaway Baby
2018	39	60.025	Beowulf: The Rise of a Legend - Beowulf: The Rise of a Legend
2019	35	62.450	Gateway to the Unknown - Discovery of the Portal * The Comvertsation * The Veil of Isolation * Teleportation * Our Connected Universe

Member Name	Section	Years Involved
Amato, Francesco	Trumpet	2010
Arzola, Brian	Tuba	2016 to 2017
Behnke, Steven	Pit	2000
Bestreski, Todd	Percussion	1991 to 1997
Bestreski, Todd	Staff	1998; 2001
Caravella, David	Baritone & Euphonium	2001 to 2002
Caravella, David	Lead Baritone	2003
Case, Joshua	Baritone	2007 to 2008
Case, Joshua	Baritone, Tuba	2007 to 2009
Esquivel, Carlos	Drum Major/Staff	1991 to 1993; 1995; 1997 to 1998
Gonzalez, Alfredo	Drum Major/Hornline	1993
Gow, Christopher	Hornline: Baritone	1998 to 2002
Guarino, Charlotte	Hornline - Trumpet	2004 to 2006
Guthrie, Luke	High Brass	2017 to 2018
Guzman, Alexis	Hornline	2002
Johnson, Lindsay	pit	2003 to 2004
Johnson, Lindsay	Pit	2003 to 2005
Kay, Joseph	Contra	1999
Kay, Joseph	Front Ensemble	2000 to 2003
Kay, Melissa	Baritone	2003 to 2005
Kempey, Evan	Front Ensemble	2002 to 2004
Koshy, Ron	Snare	2003 to 2004
Lanzoff, Matthew	Front Ensemble	1999 to 2001
Lawson, Russell	support staff	2001
Lea, George	Instructional Staff	1991 to 1996
Lichtenfeld, Michael	Soprano/Trumpet	2002 to 2003
Maiello, Tom	Staff & Director	1990
McCall, Casey	Trumpet	2011 to 2013
McCutcheon, Greg	Mellophone	1999
McLaughlin, Jack	Baritone	2017 to 2018
Rosado, Eddie	percussion	1993 to 1994
Rosado, Eddie	Percussion	1993 to 1994
Santana, Jose	Baritone	2013
Schmertz, DJ	Front Ensemble	2002 to 2005
Schmertz, DJ	Hornline	2006
Schmertz, Kenny	Front Ensemble	2002
Schmertz, Kenny	Front Ensamble	2002 to 2003
Sheard, Owen	Trumpet	2014
Swiger, Quaid	Baritone	2012 to 2013
Woodlee, Isaac	Front Ensemble	2019
Zimmer, Melissa	color guard	1991 to 1993

Raiders

1999 2 Photos

2000 2 Photos

2001 6 Photos

2002 39 Photos

2003 24 Photos

2004 22 Photos

2006 16 Photos

2007 8 Photos

2008 10 Photos

2009 77 Photos

2010 57 Photos

2011 105 Photos

2012 99 Photos

2013 68 Photos

2014 56 Photos

2015 40 Photos

2016 25 Photos

2017 45 Photos

2018 78 Photos

Members (41)