Boston Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps
The Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston is an alumni drum and bugle corps from Boston, Massachusetts founded in 1991. It is a not-for-profit, music organization with members ranging in age from 23–73.[2] They march in parades[3] and shows and concerts in 6 different states. The Senior corps also works very closely with the junior corps, with many of the alumni volunteering to help their younger counterparts thrive both on and off the field.[4] The corps has a color guard with a full American Section, who use rifles, sabers, as well as flags. The drum line contains 5 base drum players, 4 tenors, 7 snare players, and 3 cymbal players. There are approximately 50 members in the Horn Line. Though many alumni corps will only allow former junior corps members to march with them, the Crusader Seniors corps consists of members from dozens of former drum corps and bands.
| Corps that Crusader Seniors Hail From |
|---|
| Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps |
| The Light Brigade |
| The 27th Lancers of Revere |
| The Princemen (Lt. Norman Prince) of Malden/Melrose |
| The Anunciators of Somerville |
| North Star of North Shore |
| The I.C. Reveries of Revere |
| St. Kevin's of Dorchester |
| St. William's of Dorchester |
| Sacred Heart of Roslindale |
| St. Agnes of Arlington |
| and many more. |
 | |
| Location | Boston, MA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| Director | Jack LaSelva[1] |
| Uniform | Black tuxedo pants, black long-sleeve dress shirt, black shako with a black plume, white cross strap with silver buckle, red and white cord, black sash, and white drop sash (with a white Waldo Lion on it) |
| Website | www |
While many corps are run by a director, this alumni corps is run by a board of directors, and a staff responsible for musical and choreographic instruction.
History
The Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston was founded by twin brothers Neil and Terry Connolly, both alumni of the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, which is also referred to as the junior corps. The Connollys' senior corps was dubbed “the Saders” and with the additions of the late Crusader legends Ed Denon and Paul Bush who brought instructional expertise into the mix, the group became a viable unit.[7] The first Senior Crusader performance took place in 1992, at the Patriots' Day Parade in Medford, Massachusetts. In the almost twenty years since then, the corps has gathered a large following, through its performances in parades, concerts, exhibitions and other events in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, as well as in 40+ cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. Some notable performances for this corps include the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame Parade in 2005, which celebrated the Boston Red Sox winning their first World Series Title in 80 years, and the NHL Winter Classic at historic Fenway Park.[8] The Crusader Seniors' are also one of only two corps to appear in every DCA Alumni Spectacular[9] since the show's inception in 1998.
The first home for the “Saders” (now officially renamed the Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston) was at the City Hall in Waltham, Massachusetts, though, over the years, the corps has had numerous practice facilities in the greater Boston area. The corps now calls the Lt. Norman Prince VFW Post (also known as Prince Palace) in Melrose, Massachusetts its home.[10] Many of the current corps members have been a part of this organization since its inception in one form or another, notably Jack LaSelva, the corps current Board President and Drum Major, who was inducted into the Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2010.
Senior traditions
Music
Conquest
Whenever the fans start to hear the opening bars of "Conquest", an introduction known as The Calls, they can be sure that a Crusader performance is about to begin. The music is originally from the score of the film Captain from Castile and was composed by Alfred Newman. This song is a long-standing Crusader tradition in both the junior and senior corps and can be heard somewhere in their musical programs almost every year.
Giant
The official song of the Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston, like their younger counterpart, is "Giant" and the corps sings it together before every performance. The music was written for the movie Giant.
El Capitan
Once a part of the opening drill number, El Capitan is now a designated parade tune aside from Conquest. The version played by Crusaders Senior is an arrangement of the John Phillips Sousa march, played in the key of G. This tradition started when the it was first played on the field by the junior corps in 1953.
Crusader symbols
The Crusaders Senior Corps, like the junior corps, use the symbol of the Split-tailed Lion (also known as King Richard's or Lowenbrau's Lion[11]) for their corps' symbol. He has been named "Waldo", and both corps wear him during every exhibition and event they play.
References
- "Board of Directors". Crusaders Senior Drum & Bugle Corps. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- "Age Range". Crusadersseniorcorps.org. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- "Plymouth News Briefs". WickedLocal.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- "Inside the Arc". dci.org. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- "Crusader Seniors' Board of Directors". Crusadersseniorcorps.org. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- "Corps Staff". Crusadersseniorcorps.org. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- "About the Corps". Crusadersseniorcorps.org. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
- "Buglers On Ice". Nashuatelegraph.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- "Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps Get in Gear". PatriotLedger.com. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- "Corps History". Crusadersseniorcorps.org. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- "Crusader Emblem". Drumcorpswiki.com. Retrieved 2010-11-10.