Top Drum Corps to Bring National Tour to WT for July 18 Performance

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The thunderous sounds of six of the world’s best drum and bugle corps will ring out July 18 at West Texas A&M University.

Drum Corps International’s West Texas Drums will kick off at 7 p.m. July 18 in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on WT’s Canyon campus. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $45 for reserved seating.

The evening will feature the Blue Knights from Denver; the Mandarins from Sacramento; Pacific Crest from Diamond Bar, California; the Academy from Tempe, Arizona; the Troopers from Casper, Wyoming; and the Guardians from Houston.

Corps are traveling the country throughout the summer to perform in various competitions such as West Texas Drums. The season will culminate at the 2022 Drum Corps International World Championship Finals on Aug. 13 in Indianapolis.

“West Texas Drums will be an exciting evening of performances from some of the world’s finest drum corps,” said Dr. B.J. Brooks, director of Buffalo Marching Band. “Most marching fans know how amazing it is to see these corps in person, and people who’ve never seen the artistry and power these corps possess will come away a fan for life.”

DCI, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, features the world’s most elite and exclusive marching ensembles of student musicians and performers.

WT student Chris Perez, a senior music education major from Odessa, is marching with Blue Knights. WT drum major Tobin Brooks, a junior music major from Canyon and son of Dr. Brooks, is one of the drum majors for Troopers.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 million.

Photo: The Blue Knights, seen here in 2021, will return with five other top corps from Drum Corps International for West Texas Drums on July 18 in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—