Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps
The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps is an all-age or senior drum and bugle corps based in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Buccaneers, also known by the nickname The Bucs, are charter members of Drum Corps Associates.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps is to provide men and women of all ages a unique and enriching educational experience in the performing arts in which they develop as individuals and as performers.History
Pre-DCA (VFW/American Legion)
The Reading Buccaneers were formed in 1957 as a parade corps for WWII veterans. A field corps was formed in 1958 competing in the VFW circuit. The Reading Buccaneers captured the VFW championship in 1960, 1961, and 1962. The Reading Buccaneers were the last drum and bugle corps to win the VFW championship as the award was retired in 1962.Modern Years (DCA)
In 1965, the Reading Buccaneers became a charter member of Drum Corps Associates. The Buccaneers won the first DCA Open Class World Champions in 1965. They have since repeated sixteen times, in 1968, 1979, 1980, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2019. The corps has also placed second nine times and third seven times. They have missed being a DCA finalist only three times.Traditions
- The official corps nickname is The Balance in Blue because of the variety of musical styles they have presented over the years, although the corps has programmed mostly classical choices since the late 1990s.
- The official corps symbol is a ship's wheel in blue with a falchion laid horizontal with the name of the corps.
- The official corps song is sung to the theme of An Affair to Remember. Beyond the Sea is also an unofficial corps song.
- The Buccaneers' newest tradition is to bestow a gift on its members on retreat at DCA Finals. Since 2001, this gift has been a dog tag. Each new dog tag usually has the corps' logo etched on one side and the title of that year's production on the other. Members of the corps proudly display their dog tags, and new members always look forward to receiving their first.
DCA Championships
1965
The corps won the very first DCA championship with a score of 84.50.1968
The corps won their second DCA championship, becoming the first DCA corps to win a second DCA title.1979
Led by future World Drum Corps Hall of Fame drum major George N. Parks, the Bucs captured the last DCA title of the 1970s with a score of 90.51980
The Bucs pulled off a repeat with a score of 91.3.2005
With new uniforms, new instruments in all sections, and a full hornline playing on instruments in the key of B-flat, the Buccaneers finished their first undefeated season, cruising to victory with the second-highest score in DCA history, 98.45. The show, entitled Variations in B, featured Georges Bizet's Farandole, Béla Bartók's String Quartet No. 4 - Movement 5, Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.2006
After coming off an undefeated season, the corps emerged victorious with another undefeated season with Exotic Impressions including the Ravel's Boléro, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol, Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune and Scheherazade, with a score of 97.238.2007
Celebrating the corps' 50th anniversary, the Buccaneers again finished another undefeated to capture their third consecutive DCA title. The show, entitled Blue Era, also gave the Bucs the third-highest score in DCA history, a 98.313. The show consisted of Aaron Jay Kernis' New Era Dance, Aaron Copland's The Promise of Living, Alberto Ginastera's Malambo, and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.2008
At the 2008 DCA Championships, the Buccaneers tied the Brigadiers' record by winning their fourth consecutive championship with a fourth consecutive undefeated season, and earned the Buccaneers the highest prelims score in history, a 98.138, and a final score of 97.913. The show, entitled The Pursuit of Joy, consisted of Pachelbel's Canon, David Holsinger's Abram's Pursuit, Giacomo Puccini's Nessun dorma, and Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy.2009
At the 2009 DCA Championships, the Buccaneers became the first DCA corps to win five consecutive championships with a fifth consecutive undefeated season. The show earned the Buccaneers the then-highest score in DCA history, a 99.025. The show, entitled Demons & Angels, consisted of Giuseppe Verdi's Dies Irae, Manuel de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance, Leonard Bernstein's A Simple Song, and David Holsinger's Symphonia Resurrectus.2010
At the 2010 DCA Championships, the Buccaneers added another notch to their streak with their sixth consecutive undefeated season finishing with a score of 98.263. The show, entitled ROME, consisted of Ottorino Respighi's Pines of the Appian Way from Pines of Rome, Ottorino Respighi's Circuses from Feste Romane, Aram Khachaturian's Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from the ballet Spartacus, and Ottorino Respighi's Epiphany from Feste Romane.2012
At the 2012 DCA Championships in Annapolis, Maryland the Buccaneers captured their 11th DCA championship and their 7th in 8 years with an undefeated season. In July, the Bucs became the first DCA corps to ever break 90 before August. During championships weekend, the Buccaneers earned the highest ever prelims score with a 98.5, and the highest score in DCA history at finals with a 99.03. Their show, The Black Symphony takes its audience on a journey through colors to black, exploring a variety of moods and textures associated with color as we celebrate the color black for what it is: powerful, elegant, formal, classic, bold and regal. The Black Symphony consists of Warm Colors, an original composition from arranger Mark Lortz. Cool Colors from The Four Sections for Orchestra, Mvt. IV by contemporary American composer Steve Reich. Shadows, based off New World by Björk Guömundsdóttir from the movie Dancer in the Dark. The program closes with Black, a composition of 1812 from Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.2013
The 2013 program was titled "Higher, Faster, Stronger". In Annapolis, Maryland, at DCA World Finals the corps received first place with a score of 98.43. Yet again, the Buccaneers had an undefeated season.2014
On August 31, 2014, at the DCA World Championships in Rochester, New York, the Buccaneers received first place with a score of 97.550 with their program "Break on Through." This come-from-behind victory occurred after placing 3rd in the previous day's preliminary competition.2015
The Bucs won their 14th DCA World Championship with their show "Twist It" and a score of 97.580. They had an undefeated season.2017
2017 was the Buccaneers' 60th Anniversary. Their show was called "Behind the Suit." They had another undefeated season with reaching the 3rd highest DCA score in history with a 98.930.2018
The corps' 2018 program, "Here to There" won with a score of 98.0. The corps wore a radically different uniform for this show, beginning a trend of costuming specifically for each year's design.2019
The corps won their third consecutive DCA championship, and seventeenth overall, with a score of 98.225. The show was titled "Dans Ma Chambre" which loosely translates to "in my room", and was an abstract journey into fantasy and daydreams.Show Summary (1965-2019)
Gold background indicates DCA Championship; Pale blue background indicates DCA Finalist.| Year | Theme | Repertoire | Score | Result |
| 1965 | Burke's Law / From This Moment On by Cole Porter / Portrait of my Love by Cyril Ornadel and Norman Newell / Maria by Leonard Bernstein / This Had Better Be The Night / El Cid by Miklos Rosza / After You've Gone by Turner Layton and Henry Creamer / Beyond the Sea by Charles Trent and Jack Lawrence | 84.5 | 1st | |
| 1984 | Wind Machine * Central Park * The Captain's Journey * The Rainmaker | 91.950 | 2nd | |
| 1985 | Wind Machine * Jeannine * The Ancient * The Rainmaker * After You | 91.900 | 2nd | |
| 1986 | 87.550 | 4th | ||
| 1987 | 92.300 | 5th | ||
| 1988 | A Russian Celebration | 79.940 | 10th | |
| 1989 | 78.700 | 10th | ||
| 1990 | Batman | Batman - Batman Theme * Rooftop * Descent into Mystery * Return of the Rainmaker * Pie Jesu * Batman Theme Reprise | 92.200 | 7th |
| 1991 | Marche Slav * Firewatch * Dr. Macumba * Anything but Lonely * Russian Easter Overture | 82.300 | 8th | |
| 1992 | Cherokee * Englishman in New York * Moondance * Sambandrea Swing * You Can't Fall Up | 86.600 | 9th | |
| 1993 | You're Still A Young Man * What is Hip * The Skunk, The Goose, And The Fly * You Can't Fall Up | 84.800 | 11th | |
| 1994 | The Music of Hook | Remembering Childhood ; Prologue ; Banning Back Home ; You Are the Pan ; The Ultimate War all by John Williams | 79.600 | 11th |
| 1995 | Balance in Blue | En Sueno * Canto del Viento * Navy Hymn * Russian Sailor's Dance | 77.500 | 11th |
| 1996 | Russian Hymn * Hook * Jurassic Park * Asteroid Belt * E. T. Theme | 82.400 | 10th | |
| 1997 | Hunt for Red October * Meadowland * Polovetsian Dances * Firebird Suite | 83.400 | 9th | |
| 1998 | A Russian Celebration | Festive Overture * Gopak * Russian Christmas Music | 93.500 | 4th |
| 1999 | Winter Dreams | Russian Christmas Music * 4th Movement * The Pine Forest | 95.800 | 2nd |
| 2000 | Holst: The Planets | Jupiter / Venus / Mercury / Mars / Jupiter all by Gustav Holst | 97.850 | 2nd |
| 2001 | Portraits of Bernstein | On The Waterfront / Slava / Make Our Garden grow / Overture all by Leonard Berstein | 97.850 | 2nd |
| 2002 | Anthems of Freedom | Star Spangled Overture; Appalachian Spring; Flag of Stars | 95.550 | 3rd |
| 2003 | The Sea: Beauty, Power, Serenity, and War | Songer of Sailor and Sea; Navy Hymn; Drunken Sailor; Blow the Man Down; The Sea Treaders | 92.150 | 5th |
| 2004 | Innovations! The Passions of Shostakovich | Festive Overture; Fire of Eternal Glory; Symphony No. 10; Symphony No. 5 | 95.450 | 3rd |
| 2005 | Variations in B | Farandole ; Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber / String Quartet No. 4 by Bela Bartok / A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra | 98.450 | 1st |
| 2006 | Exotic Impressions | Bolero; Capriccio Espangnol; Clair de Lune ; Schehereezade | 97.238 | 1st |
| 2007 | Blue Era | New Era Dance; The Promise of Living ; Danza Final ; Rhapsody in Blue | 98.313 | 1st |
| 2008 | The Pursuit of Joy | Canon in D; Abram's Pursuit; Nessun Dorma ; Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 | 97.913 | 1st |
| 2009 | Demons and Angels | Dies Irae ; Ritual Fire Dance; A Simple Song ; Symphonia Resurrectus | 99.025 | 1st |
| 2010 | Rome MMX | Pines of the Appian Way ; Games at the Circus Maximus ; Adagio from Spartacus; The Epiphany | 98.263 | 1st |
| 2011 | A Dancer's Dream | The Chairman Dances; Danzon No.2; Swan lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Mambo by Leonard Bernstein | 97.450 | 2nd |
| 2012 | The Black Symphony | Warm Colors by Mark Lortz / The Four Sections for Orchestra, Mvt. 4 by Stever Reich / New World by Björk Guömundsdóttir / 1812 Overture by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky | 99.030 | 1st |
| 2013 | Higher, Faster, Stronger | Symphony No.11, Mvt. 4 / Original Composition by Mark Lortz, Johnny Trujillo, and Greg Tsalikis / Chesvaliers de Sangreal / Danse Bacchanale | 98.430 | 1st |
| 2014 | Break On Through | Break on Through by Jim Morrison / Fourth Ballet Suite by Dmitri Shostakovich / Orawa for Orchestra by Wojciech Kilar / Heat of the Day by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays / Original Composition by Mark Lortz, Johnny Trujillo, and Greg Tsalikis | 97.550 | 1st |
| 2015 | Twist-It | Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo / Palladio by Karl Jenkins / Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven / Going the Distance by Bill Conti / William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini | 97.580 | 1st |
| 2016 | ConZENtric - Mind, Body, Soul | Equus by Eric Whitacre / Impressions of Japan by James Barnes / Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone / Cycle Song by Imogen Heap | 97.250 | 2nd |
| 2017 | Behind the Suit | Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer / Metropolis Symphony Mvmnt 1 by Michael Daugherty / Andante Tranquillo; Symphony No. 1 by Samuel Barber / Into the New by Mark Peter Revell / Einleitung, oder Sonnenaufgang from Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss | 98.930 | 1st |
| 2018 | Here to There | Hummingbird by Steven Bryant / Hunting Wabbits by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band / La Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens / So Far Away by Carole King / Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka / Original Music by Buccaneers designers Mark Lortz, Johnny Trujillo and Mike Lalli | 98.000 | 1st |
| 2019 | Dans Ma Chambre | Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture by Mikhail Glinka / What a Feeling by Irene Cara / Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury / Benedictus by Karl Jenkins / Original Music by Buccaneers designers Johnny Trujillo, Grant Butters, and Mark Lortz | 98.225 | 1st |
| 2020 | DCA Season Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic | |||
| 2021 | 2079 |
Notable alumni
- George Parks, founder of the George Parks Drum Major Academy, former clinician with Bands of America, and former director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band.
- Al Chez, lead trumpet in Paul Shaffer's band on Late Show with David Letterman.
Sponsorship
Trivia
- The Buccaneers hold the DCA record and tie the DCI record for the longest winning streak at 64 consecutive wins. The winning streak began with the first show of the 2005 season, and finally ended September 3 2011 when the Buccaneers placed 2nd to Minnesota Brass Inc.
- The Buccaneers' 6 consecutive championships and undefeated seasons, from 2005 through 2010, is both a DCI and a DCA record.
- The Buccaneers hold the DCA record for highest score in competition before August, scoring a 90.4 on July 28, 2012 in Robbinsville, NJ.