Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps

"Mandarins show "To The Edge" has only 16 measures of 4/4 count. This according to several members I met just prior to the show. And true to their word, the show -- based mostly on "Cirque du Soliel" -- is a mixture of odd meters and difficult tempos. They're smaller this year with just 16 percussion (3 snare/4 brass/2 tenor/7 pit), 6 guard, and 13 horns (3 contra/5 high/5 low) but they pack a wallop of sound. The opener is jazzy and that's about all I wrote. I was really enthralled w/the music and didn't write much else down. They have no drum major, but it appears that the center snare is in charge of tempo and starting them off. I find this quite amazing given the extremely difficult meters. The Cute Award: to the talented but youngish looking pit member who at one point carries out huge cymbals for a snare to cym-ride. Maybe Cute and Gutsy -- those plates were huge, relatively speaking." -- Christina Mavroudis, DCWorld Columnist

• 97.4 - Blue Devils (tie)
• 97.4 - Phantom Regiment (tie)
• 96.9 - Cadets of Bergen County
• 93.8 - Cavaliers
• 92.3 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 91.5 - Madison Scouts
• 86.3 - Bluecoats
• 85.5 - Crossmen (tie)
• 85.5 - Magic of Orlando (tie)
• 82.1 - Carolina Crown
• 81.3 - Colts
• 80.7 - Blue Knights

• 98.3 - Blue Devils
• 97.2 - Cadets of Bergen County
• 94.6 - Phantom Regiment
• 94.5 - Madison Scouts
• 93.6 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 89.4 - Crossmen
• 87.8 - Magic of Orlando
• 87.4 - Bluecoats
• 86.6 - Colts
• 85.6 - Carolina Crown
• 84.5 - Blue Knights
• 81.0 - Glassmen
• 80.3 - Kiwanis Kavaliers
• 79.3 - Les Etoiles
• 76.8 - Boston Crusaders
• 75.0 - Velvet Knights
• 74.9 - Acadamie Musicale
• 74.4 - Troopers
• 74.1 - Pioneer
• 69.3 - Mandarins
• 68.7 - Nite Express
• 68.0 - Spirit of Atlanta
• 66.8 - Southwind
• 65.1 - Golden Lancers

• DIVISION III FINALS
• 94.0 - *** MANDARINS *** 1996 DCI DIVISION III CHAMPIONS
• 90.7 - Golden Lancers - Spirit Of Disney Award
• 87.8 - Blue Stars
• 85.5 - Patriots
• 84.0 - East Coast Jazz
• 80.0 - Northern Aurora
• 79.0 - Bayonne Raiders

"The remarkable Mandarins won their 4th Division III title, blowing the field away by taking all captions. Mandarins used thundering taiko drums to great effect, leading to two standing ovations (one at the end of the drum solo, the other at the end of the show). The smallest hornline of the seven contestants (13 performers) won brass performance by 0.3. Even more amazing-- DCI reported that a quarter of the Mandarins marching members are under the age of 12!" -- Mark Herzin, Fan

"This was Mandarins fourth Division III title, but the corps has been oh-so-close on any number of prior occasions. After winning the class by a stunning 3.3 points, the corps went on to quarterfinals and earned DCI member corps status for the first time ever (although in past years they've come close to accomplishing that a number of times as well).Ironically, this year's corps was the youngest one they've put on the field in 10 years and this year they marched only 13 horns. Forty percent of the members had never performed before and out of 39 marchers, 10 were only 11 or 12 years old. Despite this, the guard earned the highest guard score of the evening, besting units from much larger Division II corps.

"To the Edge" was based on music made famous by the not-easily-described performance ensemble Cirque du Soliel. A bass drum heartbeat was picked up by a number of oriental Taiko drums as disjointed horn snippets appeared from around the field in "Irna" (from Alegria).Despite their small size, when it got time to "cook", the horn line nailed the forward-propelled jazz to the wall."Alnitak" was full of odd meters that were a challenge to play, much less march to. The staff says there were nine different meters in the show -- quite a rhythmic vocabulary for any corps.

A taiko drum feature created a number of unusual percussive effects with unique methods such as the use of jingle sticks.Taiko drums pounded out an insistent rhythm that seemed to shake the stadium seats, also adding a unique visual dimension, since taiko playing is no passive act. The audience jumped to its feet in unanimous approval at the end.The odd-metered "Eclipse" (from Nouvelle Experience) brought the horns back into the picture. The repetitive rhythm and another pounding taiko beat put a final exclamation mark on the production and brought the audience to a standing ovation one more time.

This was a "take no prisoners" type of show and it left the audience euphoric and in a collected state of elevated blood pressure" -- Michael Boo, DCI Today

• DIVISION II FINALS
• 95.5 - *** LES ETOILES *** 1996 DCI DIVISION II CHAMPIONS
• 95.3 - Pioneer
• 93.8 - Nite Express - Spirit Of Disney Award
• 89.5 - Spartans
• 87.6 - Dimension

• DIVISION II PRELIMS
• 94.1 - Pioneer
• 93.9 - Les Etioles
• 92.0 - Nite Express
• 89.7 - Dimension
• 88.0 - Spartans
• 86.6 - Seattle Cascades
• 84.1 - Jersey Surf
• 82.8 - Allegiance Elite
• 82.5 - Americanos
• 81.3 - Northshore
• 79.6 - Lone Star
• 77.3 - Tarheel Sun
• 73.7 - Capital Sound

• DIVISION III PRELIMS
• 93.4 - Mandarins
• 92.1 - Golden Lancers
• 90.6 - Blue Stars
• 88.3 - Patriots
• 87.9 - East Coast Jazz
• 86.3 - Northern Aurora
• 85.3 - Bayonne Raiders
• 85.0 - Contemporary Youth Ensemble
• 84.1 - Royal Columbians
• 79.9 - St. Johns
• 76.2 - Marion Cadets
• 76.0 - Yokohama Scouts
• 72.1 - Spectrum
• 71.1 - Emerald Knights
• 66.7 - Lake Erie Regiment
• 66.7 - Phantom Regiment Cadets
• 65.1 - General Butler Vagabonds
• 63.0 - Citations
• 62.7 - Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club
• 59.1 - Ridge Raiders
• 57.5 - Phoenix
• 55.2 - Marquis
• 54.7 - Cadets of Dutch Boy
• 54.6 - Bandettes
• 54.1 - Illusion
• 49.5 - Mirage (Illinois)
• 48.4 - Racine Scouts
• 48.5 - Conqueror II
• 41.5 - Limited Edition
• 40.8 - Royal Cadets
• 39.5 - Northwind

Exhibition only, due to rain.

• PRELIMS:
• DIVISION II
• 91.8 - Nite Express
• 91.3 - Les Etoiles
• 86.2 - Americanos
• 82.1 - Jersey Surf
• 80.1 - Allegiance Elite
• 79.5 - Lone Star
• 78.7 - Tarheel Sun

• DIVISION III
• 89.0 - Mandarins
• 85.4 - Blue Stars
• 82.9 - Patriots
• 81.8 - Contemporary Youth Ensemble
• 79.8 - Raiders
• 79.0 - Northern Aurora
• 77.4 - Royal Columbians
• 71.5 - St. John's
• 69.9 - Marion Cadets
• 68.2 - Kips Bay Knight Club
• 66.7 - Spectrum
• 64.1 - Phantom Regiment Cadets
• 62.2 - Emerald Knights
• 59.9 - Bandettes
• 59.3 - Marquis
• 55.0 - Ridge Raiders
• 54.5 - Phoenix
• 49.8 - Mirage
• 47.7 - Conqueror II
• 42.8 - Limited Edition
• 37.8 - Northwind
• 36.4 - 1st Defenders

• FINALS: DIVISION II
• 91.1 - Les Etoiles
• 90.4 - Nite Express
• 85.0 - Americanos
• 81.9 - Jersey Surf
• 77.2 - Allegiance Elite

• DIVISION III
• 90.8 - Mandarins
• 86.1 - Blue Stars
• 82.1 - Contemporary Youth Ensemble
• 81.8 - Patriots
• 76.2 - Raiders

• DIVISION II/III
• 93.6 - Nite Express
• 90.6 - Mandarins
• 86.5 - Americanos
• 84.5 - Blue Star
• 74.0 - Phantom Regiment Cadets
• 73.2 - Coachmen
• 56.8 - Mirage

• DIVISION II
• 92.9 - Nite Express
• 87.8 - Americanos
• 85.1 - Lone Star

• DIVISION III
• 91.9 - Mandarins
• 90.4 - Golden Lancers
• 82.2 - Northern Aurora
• 80.6 - Contemporary Youth Ensemble
• 77.8 - Blue Star
• 76.9 - Royal Columbians
• 70.1 - Coachmen

• DIVISION II
• 90.3 - Pioneer
• 87.9 - Nite Express
• 85.4 - Dimension
• 79.5 - Northshore
• 79.3 - Lone Star

• DIVISION III
• 83.3 - Mandarins - won High Visual
• 83.2 - Golden Lancers - won High Brass and Color Guard
• 78.2 - Blue Stars - won High Percussion
• 77.1 - Contemporary Youth Ensemble
• 76.3 - East Coast Jazz

"Once again the Mandarins have proven that you can be small and be magnificent. The opening with the taiko drums is electrifying, and the overall performance of every individual in this corps is something that everybody in drum corps should see." -- Randy Gardner, Fan

• DIVISION I
• 89.1 - Blue Devils A - High Visual, Brass, and G.E.
• 86.6 - Santa Clara Vanguard - High Percussion
• 68.5 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 85.7 - Blue Devils B - Won all caption awards
• 75.8 - Vanguard Cadets

• DIVISION III
• 84.7 - Mandarins - High Brass, Visual, and GE
• 75.3 - Pacific Crest - High Percussion
• 54.9 - Strutters

"Winners of Division III, Sacramento Mandarins took all captions except percussion with a score of 84.7. Let's talk numbers - they have six pit, ten battery, eight guard, and a mere thirteen horns. With the addition of a new drum major, this tiny corps of 38 puts out an extremely entertaining show. From musician and guard, to instructors and design staff, they're all extremely proficient in their craft." -- Christina Mavroudis, DCWorld Writer

• DIVISION I
• 87.9 - Blue Devils A - won High Visual and General Effect
• 86.7 - Santa Clara Vanguard - won High Brass and Percussion
• 68.9 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 84.5 - Blue Devils B - won all caption awards
• 82.8 - Mandarins
• 76.3 - Vanguard Cadets
• 76.1 - Pacific Crest
• 63.3 - Strutters

• 87.1 - Blue Devils B
• 82.2 - Mandarins
• 75.0 - Seattle Cascades
• 72.6 - Vanguard Cadets
• 54.5 - Edmonton Strutters

• 84.9 - Blue Devils B - won High Brass, Percussion, Auxiliary, GE, and Drum Major
• 81.7 - Mandarins - won High Marching
• 74.1 - Vanguard Cadets
• 72.9 - Seattle Cascades
• 55.0 - Edmonton Strutters

"Mandarins: What a show!!! If you've enjoyed this corps in the past, you should love this year's rendition. Don't let the size of these guys and gals fool you. They only have 13 horns but the way they play and march, they don't need any more. All sections are very strong. Can't wait to see them in Orlando." -- George Ostrander, SCV Fan

• 80.8 - Blue Devils B
• 73.7 - Mandarins
• 69.1 - Vanguard Cadets
• 68.4 - Seattle Cascades
• 55.0 - Edmonton Crusaders
• 58.5 - Edmonton All-Girl Ambassadors

• DIVISION I
• 89.9 - Blue Devils A - won all caption awards
• 78.0 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 63.3 - Blue Knights
• 62.3 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 75.1 - Mandarins - won High Brass, Visual, and General Effect
• 71.5 - Vanguard Cadets
• 70.3 - Pacific Crest - won High Percussion

• DIVISION I
• 80.9 - Blue Devils A - won all caption awards
• 77.0 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 66.7 - Blue Knights
• 63.5 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 73.2 - Mandarins - won High Brass, and General Effect
• 67.9 - Vanguard Cadets - won High Visual
• 67.3 - Pacific Crest - won High Percussion

• 81.3 - Blue Devils A
• 77.7 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 72.4 - Blue Devils B
• 69.6 - Mandarins
• 66.6 - Blue Knights
• 63.5 - Vanguard Cadets

• DIVISION I
• 78.9 - Blue Devils A - won all caption awards
• 73.4 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 56.9 - Blue Knights
• 54.2 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 65.9 - Blue Devils B - won High Percussion, Visual, and General Effect
• 64.1 - Mandarins - won High Brass
• 57.6 - Vanguard Cadets
• 56.5 - Pacific Crest

"It just astounds me that they produce such an incredible sound with only 30+ folks. Syncopated rhythms, 9/8 counts, and difficult tempos -- the show has it all. There's a plus and minus for horn members: the good news is almost everyone gets a solo or feature part. The bad news is the whole show is practically a feature and every member must hold their own. Overheard: not only are they each excellent musicians, but they're in tune! As our lone Western Division III corps to Finals this year, we wish them the best." -- Christina Mavroudis, DCWorld Writer

• DIVISION I
• 76.7 - Blue Devils A - won High Brass, Visual, and General Effect
• 70.8 - Santa Clara Vanguard - won High Percussion
• 55.7 - Blue Knights
• 54.8 - Velvet Knights

• DIVISION II
• 69.3 - Blue Devils B - won High Brass, Percussion, and Visual
• 67.5 - Mandarins - won High General Effect
• 63.3 - Pacific Crest
• 60.1 - Vanguard Cadets

"The Sacramento Mandarins are a small yet very impressive package this year. Don't let the numbers fool you, though -- the three-time DCI Division III champs need make no apologies. Their 14 horns sound like 24, the percussion line (even with 12-year olds in the pit) is on solid ground, and the 7-member guard moves well after their season of winterguard training. This year's presentation will definitely keep the Mandarins in top contention this season." -- Sue Johnson, DC World Writer

SOME COMMENTS FROM OUR FRIENDS ABOUT OUR WIN:

Wow! I am definitely impressed, to say the least. They deserved to win this year! -- Michael Wong

Congratulations to all the Mandarins! Taste and quality is always the by-line with your group. -- Shirlee Whitcomb, WGI Education Director

Congratulations on your fourth DCI title!!!!!! You guys earned it and deserve it. A fantastic job by the corps and staff alike. I thoroughly enjoyed this year's show. What a terrific way to end the season. Keep up the good work! -- Lee Carpenter and the Dublin High School Band and Colorguard

Congratulations!!! The kids and staff deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and for their entertaining show (especially when considering the size of the corps!) -- M. Yoshida

Congratulations to the corps! What a fabulous job with such a young group. I am truly amazed at what can be done by a group like yours. Bravo! -- Steve Powers, DCWorld Editor

Congratulations to all Mandarins staff and members. I had the opportunity to go to DCI this year as a spectator (I aged out in 1993) and it was great to see the Mandarins have such a successful year with the young and small group they had. The Mandarins are a very special group and I am glad to have been able to march with them during my drum corps years. Keep up the great work on the web page!!! -- Valerie Emperador

One of the highlights of my adventure in Orlando... Mandarins making the top 21 AND THE CD!! Yeah! -- Christina Mavroudis

Congratulations to both Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment as new World Champions, and also our Canadian corps Les Etioles, winner of Division II and Mandarins, DIVISION III Champions! -- Friends Of Drum Corps Quebec

Once again y'all have put together another outstanding effort. In 1993, you inspired me to arrange "Adagio for Strings" for my brass quintet--did you notice the Blue Stars warmup this year? Keep up the outstanding work. I can't wait to see you next year! -- Mike Dubil, Boston Crusaders 81-82