It’s been a weekend full of the Santa Clara Vanguard and this time I have no real theme on which to hang my blogging hat. I’d rather just share some thoughts, news, and my own impressions about the Birthday Brunch, the hornline, and the corps.
First of all, the brunch was great. I spent a little time watching the Cadet corps warmup and chatted with drum majors Joselyn Grace and Sarah Nishikawa before I made my way over to the familiar space of the Bingo Hall. Even after all these years I still expect it to smell of stale cigarette smoke. That was my memory of it back in the early 80s.
Vanguard Bingo Hall
- Drum Corps International recently announced their 2016 DCI Hall of Fame class, which includes two esteemed members of the Vanguard organization. Both Myron Rosander and Denise Bonfiglio received well-deserved recognized for their outstanding contributions to the world of marching music. Though their impact has reached far and wide across the activity, we are especially thankful for the.
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I felt like the turnout was good. I think over 100 alumni and family attended, and I don’t know how that compares to the traditional birthday dinner, but given the upcoming Gala it is certainly understandable that many out of towners would save their time and travel budget for that event rather than the brunch. It’s easy for those of us fortunate enough to live close to the corps hall to forget that a lot of people, in fact, the majority, require trains, planes and automobiles to make it to Space Park Drive. Life pulls us all in many different directions, and for many that means away from the 95054 ZIP code.
Three new members of our Vanguard family were inducted in to the Hall Of Fame; Lou Avilla, Kathy Magee Pearson, and Elaine Kono. Personally each of these individuals were part of my own Vanguard experience, which made the ceremony deeply meaningful.
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By 1984 Lou Avilla was not as active with the corps as he was in earlier years, but the entire Avilla family was still very engaged with the Vanguard, and Kristi was one of my favorite members of the guard in 1984. Even then, without the backdrop of history that I know now, the Avillas were obvious and permanent fixtures within the organization. My dear friend Caroline Amrikhas did a wonderful job of sharing the letter written to the corps by the Avilla family, and Dan Smith and Danny Vanatta shared stories of the old days that were both poignant and humorous.
Vanguard Bingo 2020 Schedule
Kathy Magee Pearson was also in the 1984 corps (and seemingly every corps before and after) along with her sister Christine, and her husband Jeff was in the hornline that year. I admired her then, and I still do. Her acceptance speech was gracious, humble, full of happiness, enthusiasm, and love, which is exactly what you’d expect from Kathy.
Elaine Kono was the final inductee to the 2017 Vanguard Hall Of Fame, and again, honoring her was special to me, for she was extremely active in 1984, helping to measure, fit and sew uniforms, even though her son Kevin had taken the year off to be in the Olympic Band. I always remembered “Mrs. Kono” fondly, and it was great to see her recognized for the thousands of hours she spent serving the Vanguard. Her acceptance speech was sweet and full of heart and love for the kids that make up the Vanguard. When I shared with her in person my thanks her humble and self-deprecating words continued, “oh it’s people like you that make the Vanguard great,” she said. “It’s not about me, it’s about you guys,” she said. What a truly wonderful woman.
After a short break the hornlines from the Vanguard Cadets and Vanguard filed in, circling the Bingo Hall, wearing all black but for a white, red or green tie. It was great to see the cool confidence on the familiar faces of returning members, and the sweet, serious focus of rookies. Steve Barnhill spoke a few words about the Cadet corps and turned them over to Joselyne and Sarah, at which point they again reminded us all of how many talented young people our organization attracts, year after year. Each Drum Major directed a piece, and both are wonderfully poised, and expressive. They are going to get lots of attention this year, those two. In fact, between the four of them, Carl, Chris, Joselyn, and Sarah, I’m stating right now we’ve got the best lookin’ DMs in DCI.
The Vanguard’s 2017 show won’t be announced until May 12th but we were treated to a few minutes from two of the pieces from it. The level of difficulty is high, and the proficiency that the hornline displayed in performing it was impressive, especially given how early in the season it is. Ron Abadam and I were seated next to each other during their performance and estimated the tempo at one point to be 220 BPM. Later I learned from Drum Major, Chris Harper that it is in fact, 200 BPM. Ron wasn’t far off, but that’s still a smokin’ speed, especially given there’s a lot of black notes being played. The few minutes that I heard were wonderfully complex, dynamic, artistic, and exciting. I am impressed!
We all love hearing both corps play Clowns (Chris did the hand on the heart thing, a favorite of mine) and this year there seemed to be a bit more energy coming out of the bells of all those horns. Many alumni were on their feet before it was even over, which was not lost on the hornline as they poured a lot of heart and soul in to those notes. I just hope no one hurt themselves.
I was able to get out to Independence High School this morning to catch a couple hours of the hornline/percussion rehearsal, which meant that I got to hear more of the show. It’s definitely challenging music, in addition to being exciting. I am confident that it’s going to be appreciated by the fans, as well as the green shirts roaming around the field this summer.
And just like that a weekend which I look forward to every year is now over. I’m as guilty as any of not staying in the moment, always looking forward, waiting for what’s next. The next camp is in one month and shortly after that the kids all come to their Santa Clara home until August 13th. 5 months only seems like a long time when you realize how much we’ll all accomplish in that period of time. For now I’m going to do my best to appreciate what has happened so far, and to remind myself once again how grateful I am to be part of this organization. There really is no place like Santa Clara.
belieVe!
-tj
COVID-19 Update: Vanguard Bingo
- Posted by:Michael Gaines
- On March-17-2020
Santa Clara Vanguard Bingo Hall
As many of you may know, the Bay Area is under a strict “Shelter In Place” order for the coming weeks. Therefore, under the direction of the Santa Clara Health District, all Bingo operations in our area are forced to close due to the Coronavirus. This includes our Vanguard Bingo operations which provide a majority of financial support for our many performing programs. While we are saddened that our Vanguard Bingo community and our Bingo staff will not be with us for at least three weeks, as an organization, we remain 100% focused on the health and well-being of our Vanguard family. In these times of uncertainty, we could use your financial support more than ever!
Vanguard Outdoor Bingo
If you have been a previous donor already, would you consider another generous gift? If you have never been a donor to Vanguard Music and Performing Arts, no amount is too small. Our focus on the health of our Vanguard family means we are without the financial resources of Bingo for at least three weeks. Please help us continue to build this organization for the foreseeable future with a generous financial gift today! We are asking for your help in these challenging times.