Blue Knights

The Blue Knights

Location	Denver, CO
Division	World Class
Founded	1958
Director	Mark Arnold
Championship Titles
Corps Uniform	Black pants. Half blue/half black jacket with a white triangle separating the colors. Blue Knights triangle logo on the upper left chest.

The Blue Knights are members of Drum Corps International and they compete within DCI World Class (formerly DCI Division I). They are based in Denver, Colorado. The corps is under the direction of Mark Arnold.

History

Established in 1958, the Blue Knights provide Denver-area youth the opportunity to develop life skills utilizing the vehicle music. What began as a "parade corps" performing strictly in the Denver-Metro area, quickly grew into a nationally respected organization offering opportunities for youth to learn, travel, and grow through excellence in their "sport". Perennial DCI finalists, the Blue Knights are now recognized internationally for their excellence and innovation in the area of musical pageantry.

Heading into the new millennium the Blue Knights organization has expanded its programs. A drum and bugle corps, two performing percussion ensembles, and an "educational out reach" program are all currently part of the Blue Knights programs. In 1999, the Blue Knights #1 percussion ensemble was crowned the WGI Independent World Marching Champion. Along with the percussion ensembles, the Blue Knights contain "Opus 10" winterguard, and a winter brass ensemble that performs at winter drumline and color guard competitions. The long-range vision of the Blue Knights is to continue this expansion to include a far greater number of youth in its programs.

Misson Statement

"The goals of the Blue Knights are to further the education and growth toward maturity of young people by providing them the opportunity to participate in a performing musical organization of the highest competitive caliber. The Blue Knights create an environment that encourages self-discipline, develops leadership skills, and enhances self-esteem… where young people can experience the pride of accomplishment through teamwork."

Ensembles

Since 1958, the Blue Knights have been providing young men and women the opportunity to perform, compete, and and better themselves as members of highly talented performance groups. From humble beginnings as a parade corps, the Blue Knights have grown to offer a year-round program of ensembles for thousands of youth from the Rocky Mountain region and around the world.

Drum and Bugle Corps

The Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps has established itself as one of the elite groups of its kind in the world. A perennial Drum Corps International finalist, the Blue Knights are renowned in the activity for excellence in symphonic music, intricate visual choreography, and an unwavering commitment to innovation.

Far beyond a high school or college marching band, drum and bugle corps are the pinnacle for marching musicians across the world. The best young brass and percussion performers from all over the globe join with color guards of the highest quality to embark on a grueling national tour with hopes of being crowned the DCI World Champions in August.

For the performers who participate, drum corps becomes a way of life and a fondly remembered part of their youth. Between the thrill of entertaining enormous crowds, touring the country over the course of a summer, the creation of life-long friendships, and the motivation to perfect an intensely challenging show, it is easy to see why passion runs so deep for both the corps and the fans who love and support the activity.

Percussion Ensemble

For over a decade, the Blue Knights Percussion Ensembles have proven to be among the most innovative and successful groups in the indoor percussion activity. With four WGI World Percussion Championships to their credit, the Blue Knights Percussion Ensembles have solidified themselves as a perennial favorite of both the fans and the judges, wowing audiences with amazing music and spectacular visual programs.

Combining music, marching, and elements of theater, competitive indoor percussion ensembles compete regionally throughout the winter and spring, prior to attending the World Championships in April. The indoor percussion activity has experienced exponential growth over the last 15 years, and the number of ensembles increases every year. The Blue Knights are the longest continually operating Independent Class percussion ensemble in the world, established in 1993.

Opus 10

Originally founded as Oracle Winterguard, the newly renamed Opus 10 Winterguard joins the Blue Knights family to continue the legacy created during its first eight highly successful seasons.

Honored as the Independent Open Class World Champions in 2002, the winterguard has since become a force in Independent World Class, ranking as high as 4th in 2005 and making finals in every year of competition. Recognized as the premier guard in the Rocky Mountain region, Opus 10 attracts the best performers the area has to offer.

Known for its exemplary body movement skills and its highly artistic design, Opus 10 is poised for another amazing season and will once again be traveling to Dayton, Ohio for the Winter Guard International Championships in April.

The winterguard activity takes the artistry and skill of modern colorguards and sets it in an indoor environment during the winter and spring months. Performing to recorded music, winterguards use equipment and dance skills to captivate and entertain audiences across the globe. The WGI World Championships is among the most fiercely fought spectacles in pageantry arts and the annual event draws hundreds of guards and thousands of spectators from around the world.

Winter Brass Ensemble

Pioneering an exciting new artform while giving brass musicians an off-season outlet.

The Stampede

The official stadium drumline of the Denver Broncos football team. Performing in and around INVESCO Field at Mile High for all Broncos home games, The Stampede contributes to the electric game day atmosphere that the team is known for. While performing for tailgaters, in the stands, or from the field, The Stampede entertains thousands of Broncos fans throughout the NFL season.

Shows by year

Year	Program Title	Repertoire	Placement	Score	Class
1975		Unknown	11th	48.15	DCI Class A
1976		Battle of Britain Hill Where the Lord Hides Battle Hymn Of The Republic Feelings
1977		Somewhere (from West Side Story) Jet Song (from West Side Story) Tonight (from West Side Story) I Get Crazy Hill Where The Lord Hides Evergreen (from A Star Is Born) Maria (from West Side Story)	47th	57.90	DCI Open Class
1983		Unknown	31st	51.70	DCI Open Class
1984		If You Could Read My Mind Sweet Inspiration Trilogy Magician Ain't No Mountain High Enough I'm Gonna Make You Love Me	22nd	70.70	DCI Open Class
1985	A Pirate's Tale		31st	68.20	DCI Open Class
1986		Unknown	27th	68.70	DCI Open Class
1987		Savannah River Holiday Ritual Fire Dance (from El Amor Brujo) Requiem	22nd	73.40	DCI Open Class
1988		March (from A Moorside Suite) Divertimento For Band Pie Jesu (from Requiem) March (from Suite No. 1 for Military Band)	17th	78.60	DCI Open Class
1989		March (from A Moorside Suite) Puchinello	16th	81.20	DCI Open Class
1990		Chichester Psalms Offertory (from Mass) I Go On (from Mass) Sanctus (from Mass) Agnus Dei (from Mass)	13th	85.40	DCI Open Class
1991		Savannah River Holiday Outdoor Overture Aspen Jubilee	9th	97.70	DCI Open Class
1992	Portraits of Aaron Copland	Billy the Kid Corral Nocturne Red Pony Chorale and Shaker Dance	9th	90.00	DCI Division I
1993	The Next Generation	Battle of the Mutara Nebula (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Clear All Moorings (from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Star Trek VI Suite Little Green Men	10th	85.00	DCI Division I
1994	Trittico for Brass Band		7th	88.40	DCI Division I
1995	Legacy	Introduction Main Theme Adagio Fugue Finale	13th	81.30	DCI Division I
1996	Music of Ron Nelson	Rocky Point Holiday Sonoran Desert Holiday	12th	80.70	DCI Division I
1997		Prelude (from Ben Hur) Overture to Ben Hur The Battle (from Ben Hur) Lithe Girl, Brown Girl (from The Lovers) Father In Heaven (from Prayers of Kierkegaard)	9th	88.20	DCI
1998	Masters of the Symphony	Allegro (from Symphony No. 10) Symphony No. 6: Pathetique Largo (from New World Symphony) Symphony No. 9	9th	89.50	DCI
1999		Trittico for Brass Band Partita for Band	7th	92.50	DCI
2000	Colors of Brass and Percussion	Movement 1 (from Montage) Movement 3 (from Montage) A Time For Love (from The Essence of Time) A Time For Hate (from the Essence of Time) A Time For Peace (from The Essence of Time)	6th	92.00	DCI Division I
2001	Blue Toons	Cartoon An American in Paris Black Market Juggler	14th	83.90	DCI Division I
2002	Fear and Trembling, featuring the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and Samuel Barber	Piano Concerto No. 1, Op.35 Piano Concerto, Op. 38	13th	85.50	DCI Division I
2003	Primary Colors	Kaval Sviri Izpoved Prologue	13th	85.35	DCI Division I
2004	A Knight's Tale		10th	87.600	DCI Division I
2005	A Midsummer Knight's Dream		10th	88.225	DCI Division I
2006	Dark Knights	Piano Concerto, Op. 38	7th	90.125	DCI Division I
2007	Dark Dances	Piano Concerto No. 1 Symphony No. 10	8th	90.275	DCI Division I
2008	Knight Reign	Cloudburst Turbine Jeux D'eau Amazing Grace	9th	88.250	DCI World Class
2009	Shiver: A Winter in Colorado	Winter Glide Landslide Tarantella Coronation from 'Stardust'	11th	86.450	DCI
2010	Europa!	L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2: Farandole Enigma Variation VIII (W.N.) & IX Nimrod Symphony No.1, mov. 4	11th	87.100	DCI
2011	An English Folk Song Suite	First Suite in Eb English Folk Song Suite Molly on the Shore Shepard's Hey Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus	9th	89.200	DCI World Class
2012	Avian	Infernal Dance (from the Firebird Suite) Berceuse (from The Firebird Suite) Finale (from the Firebird Suite)	10th	86.700	DCI World Class

External Links

Blue Knights: Official Website Opus10: Official Website

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