Cavaliers to present drum, bugle show at Eastern

Chris Picazo, Staff Reporter

The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps will premiere its 2015 production titled “GAME ON” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at O’Brien Field.

The Cavaliers began work for the new season on May 15 at Benedictine University in Lisle, according to an Eastern press release.

Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the show is free for the public.

Members of the Cavaliers made Eastern’s campus their annual pre-tour home since 2005, and they have been at work on the campus since June 1, according to the press release.

The Cavaliers were founded in 1948 and since then have been one of the most successful drum and bugle corps, according to The Cavaliers website.

The drum and bugle corps features 150 male performers aged 16 to 22 every year to present the marching music show.

The group has won 20 national championships including seven Drum Corps International championships since 1992.

Two members of the group include Eastern music education students Matt Parker and Alex Hoose, who are also members of the Panther Marching Band.

Parker is a third-year member of the horn line, and Hoose is a first-year conductor.

While practicing at Eastern’s campus, the group uses many of the university’s facilities for rehearsal, including O’Brien Field, the field house and many of the outdoor areas nearby.

According to the press release, a typical practice for The Cavaliers begins at 8 a.m. and goes until 10 p.m.

The 2015 season kickoff and fan appreciation night at Eastern will lead into The Cavaliers’ tour that will begin Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The tour will take the group around the country and will include stops at Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia and Texas.

Chris Picazo can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].