SAN DIEGO, January 9, 2012 – Gold Drum and Bugle Corps will celebrate its eighth season with an extended tour to Drum Corps International’s 2012 Open Class Finals in August. The board of directors approved this season’s tour schedule at Sunday’s board meeting and announced the news in front of prospective members at Gold’s first set of auditions in Laguna Hills. This is the corps’ second time attending DCI Finals but the first time appearing at out-of-state championships.
“We’ve been waiting quite awhile to return to finals and in the meantime, the corps has been getting a little bigger and a little better each year. We have an extraordinary amount of talent in the organization and I think it’s time we reward the efforts of our members,” said Dr. Donald Flaherty, corps director.
The complete tour schedule will be released in the coming weeks but will include an additional three weeks in comparison to Gold’s previous seasons and will culminate with a trip to compete with other Open Class corps at DCI Finals. The corps took its first trip out of state in 2011, performing in Utah and Colorado.
“It has been a long process to come to the decision to take this corps to Open Class finals. We wanted to be sure that we built a strong financial and physical base for the organization before committing to the extended tour and now we are making all the preparations to give our members the best experience they can possibly have this season,” said Scott Bush, board member.
Gold, a San Diego-based nonprofit for young musicians and performers, strives to enrich the lives of students through a commitment to performance excellence and a dedication to self-empowerment. Preparing for the trip to finals means more expenses for the corps increasing the need for outside financial support. Those interested in helping support Gold’s music program and extended tour are invited to contact Director Donald Flaherty (dflaherty@golddrumcorps.org).
Performers interested in joining the 2012 corps are welcome to try out at Gold’s second set of auditions on Sunday, January 15, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Grossmont High School. A fee of $30.00 is due for prospective members attending 2012 auditions for the first time. More information can be obtained at www.golddrumcorps.org.