Blue Knights

Denver, CO United States
Founded: 1958

Active Junior
World Class

Year	Position	Score	Theme/Songs
1963	10	60.050	(Repertoire not available)
1975	211	48.150	(Repertoire not available)
1976			Battle of Britain * Hill Where the Lord Hides * Battle Hymn of the Republic * Feelings
1977	41	57.900	West Side Story Medley * Somewhere (from West Side Story) * Jet Song (from West Side Story) * Tonight (from West Side Story) * I Get Crazy * Hill Where the Lord Hides * Evergreen (from A Star is Born) * Maria (from West Side Story)
1982			(Repertoire not available)
1983	31	51.700	Magic Flea * Tuxedo Junction * That's a Plenty * Dixie Land Jazz * For Your Eyes Only
1984	22	70.700	If You Could Read My Mind * Sweet Inspiration * Trilogy * Magician * Ain't No Mountain High Enough * I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
1985	31	68.200	A Pirates' Tale - A Pirate's Tale
1986	27	68.700	Rockin' the Rockies - Rockin' the Paradise * Too Much Time on my Hands * Since You've Asked * Light Up * Thick as a Brick * Feels Like the First Time
1987	22	73.400	Savannah River Holiday * Ritual Fire Dance (from El Amor Brujo) * Requiem
1988	17	78.600	Moorside March (from A Moorside Suite) * Divertimento for Band * Pie Jesu (from Requiem) * March (from First Suite in E-Flat)
1989	16	81.200	Moorside March (from A Moorside Suite) * Punchinello
1990	13	85.400	Bernstein's Mass - Chichester Psalms * Offertory (from Mass) * I Go On (from Mass) * Sanctus (from Bernstein's Mass) * Agnus Dei (from Bernstein's Mass)
1991	9	87.700	Savannah River Holiday * An Outdoor Overture * Aspen Jubilee
1992	9	90.000	Portraits of Aaron Copland - Billy the Kid * Corral Nocturne (from Rodeo) * The Red Pony * Chorale and Shaker Dance
1993	10	85.000	The Next Generation - Battle in the Mutara Nebula (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) * Clear All Moorings (From Star Trek VI) * Star Trek VI Suite * Little Green Men
1994	7	88.400	Trittico for Brass Band - Trittico for Brass Band
1995	13	81.300	Legacy - Introduction (from Legacy) * Main Theme (from Legacy) * Adagio (from Legacy) * Fugue (from Legacy) * Finale (from Legacy)
1996	12	80.700	Music of Ron Nelson - Rocky Point Holiday * Sonoran Desert Holiday
1997	9	88.200	Selections from Ben-Hur - Prelude (from Ben Hur) * Overture to Ben Hur * The Battle, parts I and II (from Ben Hur) * Lithe Girl, Brown Girl (2nd movement from The Lovers) * Father In Heaven (from Prayers of Kierkegaard)
1998	9	89.500	Masters of the Symphony - Tenth Symphony, First and Second Movement * Sixth Symphony, First and Third Movement - Pathetique * New World Symphony (Largo) * Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy)
1999	7	92.500	Suite for Brass and Percussion - Trittico for Brass Band * Partita for Band
2000	6	92.000	Colors of Brass and Percussion - Montage Mvt 1 * Montage Mvt 3 * The Essence of Time – A Time for Love * The Essence of Time – A Time for Hate * The Essence of Time – A Time for Peace * Original
2001	14	83.900	Blue Toons - Cartoon * Black Market Juggler * An American in Paris
2002	13	85.500	Fear and Trembling featuring the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and Samuel Barber - Piano Concerto No. 1 Op.35 * Piano Concerto
2003	13	85.350	Primary Colors - Kaval Sviri * Izpoved * Prologue
2004	10	87.600	A Knight's Tale - A Knight's Tale * Trittico for Brass Band * Journey * Chase * Battle * I Go On (from Mass)
2005	10	88.225	A Midsummer Knight's Dream - A Midsummer Knight's Dream * Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific)
2006	7	90.125	Dark Knights - Piano Concerto, Op. 38
2007	8	90.275	Dark Dances - Piano Concerto No. 1 * Symphony No. 10
2008	9	88.250	Knight Reign - Cloudburst * Turbine * Jeux D'eau * Amazing Grace
2009	11	86.450	Shiver: A Winter in Colorado - Winter from the Four Seasons * Glide * Landslide * Tarantella * Coronation (from Stardust)
2010	11	87.100	Europa - Farandole (from L'Arlesienne) * W.N.(from Enigma Variations) * Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) * First Symphony; Movement 4
2011	9	89.200	An English Folk Song Suite - First Suite in E-Flat * English Folk Song Suite * Molly on the Shore * Shepherd's Hey * Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
2012	10	86.700	Avian - Infernal Dance (from the Firebird Suite) * Berceuse (from The Firebird Suite) * Finale (from the Firebird Suite)
2013	10	87.750	NoBeginningNoEnd - This Bitter Earth * Circle One * The First Circle
2014	8	91.150	That One Second - A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics (from A Beautiful Mind) * Brief Eternity * Hand of Fate - Part 1 from Signs * To Build A Home
2015	6	91.850	Because - Because * Rush * Apres Moi * I'm Alive * Fly to Paradise
2016	7	90.738	The Great Event - The Great Event * Moonlight Sonata * Gorgon (Mov. 1) * Flight to the Wasteland (from Final Fantasy) * Adagio and Transfiguration (from Final Fantasy) * Arrows of the Gods (from Titus) * Fratres * Air Waltz * Saturn
2017	8	90.400	i - Wave * Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra * 107 Steps from Dancer in the Dark * Hide and Seek
2018	9	88.925	The Fall and Rise - Sun King * The Rite of Spring * Exit Music (for a Film) * Welcome to the Machine * Time After Time
2019	7	92.050	...I Remember Everything - Sudden Throw * Liquid * Hurt * Lonely World

Position 200+ indicates Division II, Position 300+ indicates Division III, Position 400+ indicates Mini Corps.

CORPS Photos

2018 319 Photos

The Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class DCI member corps sponsored by Ascend Performing Arts of Denver, Colorado.

Celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2018, the corps was founded in 1958 by Fred and Fae Taylor, who hosted local television shows for teens and taught music in their Fred and Fae Talent School..Fred was also a drummer in the Denver Grenadiers (American Legion) Senior Drum and Bugle Corps.who saw that a junior drum and bugle corps would provide performing opportunities to their students.

The corps was officially established in 1958 with Fred Taylor, George Young, and Ray Route as both the board of directors and the instructional staff. Plan A had been for the corps to be only a parade corps. Plan B saw them enter their first field competition in the corps' inaugural season and travel to VFW Nationals the following year.

Although not very competitively successful in its early years, the corps kept plugging away, while many of its contemporaries fell by the wayside and became defunct. They attended their first DCI Championships in 1975, finishing in 11th place in Class A prelims. They returned to DCI as the hometown hosts at Mile High Stadium in 1977, but they finished 41st of the 45 corps in Open Class prelims in Boulder, Colorado. (Blue Knights also hosted the DCI Championships in 1978 and 2004--- in '78, the corps was only a parade corps, but in 2003, they finished in 10th place,)

The corps marched as only a parade corps in 1978 thru 1980, but in 1979, they renamed their home show "Drums Along the Rockies" (DATR) which became and remains a major national show and is one of the corps' primary fundraisers. The corps' bingo fundraiser, started in 1983, was wiped out when Colorado legalized casino gambling in the early 1990s.

1986 was a crucial year in the corps' history when, not only was recruting low, but some members were injured by a lightning strike on the practice field. Mark Arnold was brought in to stabilize the situation, and he helped the corps rebuild, as he brought in noted instructors and designers like George Zingali, Jim Prime, and Ralph Hardimon. Under Arnold's leadership, the corps improved to 22nd place in '87, 17th in '88, 16th in '89, 13th in '90, and gained its first DCI Finals slot with a 9th place finish in 1991. The corps was a DCI Finalist 1991-94, 1996-2000, and 2004-2017, and Arnold was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame in 2014.

In addition to the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, Ascend Performing Arts sponsors the Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble, which has competed in Winter Guard International (WGI) since 1994 (longer than any other unit) and won the WGI Independent World Championship in 1994, 1999, 2000, and 2003. Ascend also co-sponsors the BKXperience-Perform! clinics held for middle school through college band students in conjunction with both DATR and the Corps Encore show that the organization also hosts in Ogden, Utah.

The Blue Knights also developed and produces The Broncos Stampede, consisting of the Broncos Stampede Drum Line (formed 2003) and the Broncos Brass (formed 2009), the official percussion line and brass ensemble of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League.

[Ascend Performing Arts; Drum Corps World (multiple issues); Dave Strickler; A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, Vol. 2; Steve Vickers;Drum Corps International]

Members (88)

Member Name	Section	Years Involved
Andersen, Brooks	Hornline	2002
Anderson, Greg	Snare	1999 to 2000
Anderson, Samuel	Contra/Tuba	2013 to 2015
Aumann, Jonette	Color Guard	1992 to 1995
Barto, Lance	Contra Bass	1999 to 2004
Bertram, Mark	Visual Staff	1995
Bigley, Ryan	Trumpet	2004 to 2005
Brewster, Seth	Trumpet	2018
Brown, Marianne	Guard (rifle)	1968 to 1974
Bruyere, Marc	bass drum	1994 to 1998
Caballero, David "JEFE"	Snare	2000 to 2001
Carmichael, Stacey	Baritone	2000 to 2002
Carte, Jennifer	color guard	2001
Carter, Jon	Contra	2001 to 2004
Chernow, Alexis	Colorguard	2002 to 2004
Cooper, Brent	Pit	1994
Cornell, Tanner	Bari/Euph	2008 to 2010
Delohery, Amy	Mellophone	1978 to 1979
Donelson, Al	Contrabass	1983
Dronberger, Matthew	Euphonium	2005 to 2006
Elhart, David	Baritone	1985
Eshbach, Stephanie	Mellophone	1999
Factor, Alex	Tuba	2011 to 2014
Feuerborn, Mark	Tuba	2006
Gagaza, J.P.	Tenors	2008
Gipson, Derek	brass tech/consultant	2011
Habel, Doug	Hornline	1995 to 1996
Haffner, Arnold	Drumline( Bass )	2003
Hall, Christie	colorguard	1995
Hebda, Martin	Soprano	1992 to 1993
Hernandez, Matthew	Trumpet	2010 to 2011
Hipke, Steve	Drumline (Cyms)	1991 to 1993
Hodges, Jason	Mellophone	2007
Hubbard, Scott	Drumline - Tenors	1992 to 1994
James, Melissa	Soprano/Trumpet	2004
Jimenez, Shannon	Contrabass	2002 to 2006
Knudson, Todd	rifle line	1982
Kuzma, GM	Alto	1994
Kuzma, GM	Administrative Staff	2004
Laubhan, Keith	Front Ensemble	2001
Leary, Daniel	Brass (bari)	2000
Leversedge, Mark	Drumline	1993
Low- Underwood, Amanda	Front Ensemble	1999
Martin, Phil	Pit	1993 to 1995
Martinez, Jose	Soprano	2003 to 2004
Matthews, II, John	Sopranos	2003
McKinnon, Margaret	Front Ensemble	1997
Mondragon, Chris	Baritone (05) Contra (06-07)	2005 to 2007
Neimeyer, Daniel	Percussion/Quad assist	2006 to 2007
Nelson, Duane	Baritone	1976 to 1977
Nelson, Josh	Bass Drum	2000 to 2002
Newton, Jeffrey	Drumline (Snare)	1981
O'Toole, Heather	Cymbal Line	1992 to 1993
Oppegard, Jillian	Color Guard	2000 to 2001; 2003
Poling, Laura	G bugle	2001
Predaina, Christy	Color Guard	2002
Pressley, David	soprano	1984
Reid, Jason	Front Ensemble	2003 to 2006
Reiff, Lee	Contrabass/Drum Major	1996 to 1998
Rickels, David	Hornline - Mellophone	2000
Romero, James	Lead Baritone	2003 to 2004
Rule, Gary Tex	Euph	2005
Sabonis, Kate	color guard	1992
Sanchez, Matthew	snareline (auditioning)	2005
Sanders, Issac	Contrabass	1999 to 2002
Seltzer, Matthew	Euphonium	2005
Shane, Larry	Brass Staff	1994 to 2003
Shields, Laura	Front Ensemble	2000 to 2002
Skinner, Erik	Soprano	2001 to 2003
Smith, Brian	Front Emsemble	1997 to 1998
Smith, Frances	mellophone	2005
Stegall, Floyd	Management	1984
Steinbruegge, John	Bass Line	1998
Sundleaf, Viktor	Contra	2010
Takeda, Steven	Tenor	2012 to 2013
Trevino, Marissa	colorguard	2000; 2003
Ulmer, Sharla	Colorguard	2004
W, R	colorguard	1993 to 1994
Warren, Kasey	Trumpet	2011 to 2013
Watson, Scott	Front Ensemble	2006 to 2007
Wiener, Catherine	Colorguard	1995
Wiener, Catherine	Front Ensemble	1996
Wilson, Shauna Mae	Colorguard	2002
Wiselogel, Dieter	Euphonium	2006
Wood, Jim	Guard Staff	1995
Worley, Tyler	Front Ensemble	2003 to 2004
Young, Jennifer	colorguard	2002
shao, sonya	hornline	2002

CORPS 41 items

Blue Knights

0 13 Photos

1984 28 Photos

1985 13 Photos

1991 1 Photos

1993 1 Photos

1994 1 Photos

1999 2 Photos

2000 11 Photos

2001 7 Photos

2002 25 Photos

2003 22 Photos

2004 25 Photos

2005 28 Photos

2006 13 Photos

2007 78 Photos

2008 65 Photos

2009 117 Photos

2010 60 Photos

2011 101 Photos

2012 166 Photos

2013 90 Photos

2014 114 Photos

2015 192 Photos

2016 167 Photos

2017 121 Photos

2018 319 Photos

Members (88)