Senators, Eastleigh

From DrumCorpsWiki

The Senators, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, Great Britain, are the UKs most honoured corps. They boast numerous BYBA and BYBC Championship wins and have a record eight DCUK titles and two DCE titles to their name. They are also the most consistantly successful DCUK corps of all time, only placing out of the top 3 once in the last 16 years.

Senators at the DCE Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2006

Since 2000, the corps has won 8 titles, 6 DCUK British Drum Corps Championships and two DCE European Drum Corps Championships. Between Finals 2002 and 2007 the Senators had the longest un-beaten streek in British Drum Corps history, never being beaten on home soil between those dates.

The Senators have been awarded a High Brass caption for the last seven years (02,03,04,05,07,08 in DCUK and 06 in DCE). They also hold the record for consecutive High Percussion awards having won 3 in a row twice (93,94,95 & 02,03,04).

In 2006 the Senators made the switch from DCUK into DCE, fielding an open-age unit for the first time. In 2007 due to the introduction of new age-rules in DCUK the corps once more entered competition on British soil. Currently the Senators organisation consists of four units, the DCE Open corps, an Indoor Percussion Ensemble, a Junior corps and a Cadet unit recruiting and training local children. The organisations total membership now numbers in excess of 100 people.

1 History
- 1.1 What's their story?
- 1.2 Drum Corps Era - The Shows/Placements
2 Traditions
3 Trivia
4 See Also
5 External Links

[edit] History

[edit] What's their story?

The Senators were formed in late 1984 by a committee of interested parents of children who wanted to do something more than the usual Marching Band Activity.

Included on the very first Staff of the Corps where Jim Vaughan, Nigel Brown, June Fitzpatrick and Joe Fitzpatrick. All still very much involved with and concerned about the Senators long term future.

From 1985 to 1987, the corps worked its way through the different classes of the British Youth Band Association, until reaching the BYBA Premier Class in 1988.

The corps first Premier League title came in 1989, along with a World Music Championship Gold Medal in Kerkrade Holland, and a second place at the BYBC Championships at Wembley Arena later that year.

This was followed up with another BYBA League title, and another Wembley Runners Up spot in 1990, playing the music form Bizet's "Carmen".

Having astonished many with their lightening quick rise through the BYBA ranks, the corps felt they needed a new challenge. 1991 saw the Senators move over to Drum Corps.

[edit] Drum Corps Era - The Shows/Placements

1991 - Fiddler on the Roof: DCUK 9th place.

1992 - Malcolm Arnolds Celebration of Dance: DCUK 3rd place.

1993 - Leonard Bernsteins Theatre Works: DCUK Champions.

1994 - A Frontier Ballet: DCUK 2nd place.

1995 - Life and Love in New York: DCUK 2nd place.

1996 - The Next Generation - A Space Odyssey: DCUK 5th place.

1997 - Arron Coplands Appalachian Spring: DCUK Champions.

1998 - A Night in the City: DCUK 3rd place.

1999 - Phantom of the Opera: DCUK 2nd place.

2000 - A Senators Opus: DCUK Champions.

2001 - Ballet Sacra: DCUK Champions.

2002 - Prayers of Vengance: DCUK 2nd place.

2003 - Listen with your Eyes: DCUK Champions.

2004 - Rhythm plus Movement: DCUK Champions.

2005 - Mission Incredible: DCUK Champions.

2006 - We Will Rock You! A Queen Symphony: DCE 3rd place.

2007 - Shuffle up and Deal: DCE Champions.

2008 - Seven Deadly Sins: DCUK & DCE Champions.

[edit] Traditions

Finals Bus Ride

One main Senators tradition that links members from back in the early 90's breakthrough into DCUK to now as consistant title challengers is the "Finals Bus Trip".

This tradition takes place every year on the way to the stadium for the Finals night performance. It's not talked about before hand so rookies have no idea whats coming, and not mentioned afterwards, but that space of time encapsulates what so many hundreds of people have found special about the Senators over the last 20 years.

[edit] Trivia

Did you know...?

Prime Time!

The Senators have performed in front of millions of people in their history. Millions may seem a bold claim, but when you factor in appearances on the BBCs "Noels House Party", "Top of the Pops" and Channel 4's "T4" show and also an appearance on the Royal Variety Performance and a pop video for top UK band "Keane", the audience numbers soon rack up!

DCI

Dozens of Senators members have made the trip to the US to spend a summer marching fulltime with a DCI corps. Senators have been represented in the Santa Clara Vanguard, The Cadets, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, Madison Scouts and Crossmen among others. In addition to this the Cadets Visual Caption Supervisor (Jon Bilby) has marched and taught at the corps, and 2007 saw Senators Brass Caption Head (Craig Walker) head to the states to take up a role with the Cadets Brass Staff.

Record Breaking

The Senators have to-date lifted the DCUK Championship trophy a record 8-times. The Senators are today the only active corps to hold more than one DCUK Championship. In addition to this, before entering the Drum Corps arena, the corps has also in the past been BYBA champions on two occasions.

In only their second attempt (previously losing out by just 2 tenths of a point), the Senators became the only Biritsh corps to have won the DCE European Drum Corps Championship (2007), and in doing so broke the previous highest score twice on the same day, becoming the first corps in DCE history to break the 90 point barrier (90.05). In 2008 the corps won their second DCE title, once more breaking the 90 barrier with a record high score of 90.20.

In all the Santors have won the DCUK High Brass caption 9 times and hold the record for consecutive wins, having won the caption for a record-breaking 4 years in a row in 02,03,04 & 05, before taking a year out of DCUK in 2006. In 2006, their first year of DCE competition, The Senators continued their brass success and won High Brass against stiff competiton from the larger lines of the Dutch corps' Beatrix and Jubal. In 2007 The Senators returned to DCUK and once more took the High Brass award after an undefeated season in the caption, retaining in 2008.

The Senators have also won 9 DCUK High Percussion titles over the years, with the corps holding the record for consective High Percussion awards having won 3 in a row twice in 93,94,95 & 02,03,04. The perscussion section also achieved the DCE High Percussion award in 2007 following an undefeated season in DCUK.

With regards to the visual caption, the Senators also have an impressive record, winning DCUK High Visual 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2008, and winning the DCE High Visual Caption in each year of competition (2006, 2007 & 2008).