The Holy Name Cadets

Location	Allentown, PA
Division	World Class
Founded	1934
Director	George Hopkins
Championship Titles	1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2005
Uniform	Maroon jacket with white crossbelt and buckle, cream pants, gold cummerbund and drop sash, maroon and white shako with white plume

The Cadets (formerly the Holy Name Cadets, Garfield Cadets, and Cadets of Bergen County) are a Drum Corps International World Class (formerly Division I) drum and bugle corps based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They are sponsored by Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!).

The Cadets performing in Annapolis, Maryland on June 16, 2007.

[edit] History

Founded in 1934 in Garfield, New Jersey, The Cadets are the second oldest continually operating drum and bugle corps next to the Racine Scouts (1927) and have one of the most extensive histories of any drum and bugle corps active today. They initially were sponsored by the Holy Name parish and were called the Holy Name Cadets. The Holy Name parish would not sponsor the corps in the 1958 American Legion Finals so the corps competed as the Garfield Cadets. The name of the corps was changed officially to the Garfield Cadets as Holy Name parish ceased their relationship with the corps. Many years later, the corps' name changed to Cadets of Bergen County and eventually simply to The Cadets.

They hold several distinctions, being one of the few charter corps of DCI who have attended every championship held, being the only World Class (formerly Division I) corps to step off on the right foot, as well as being the second most successful corps in the DCI circuit with nine world champion titles over three decades. The Cadets have moved their headquarters from Bergen County, New Jersey, to Allentown, PA, where the DCI Eastern Classic is held. The corps is known for unique and risky moves, such as using vocals throughout an entire show.

[edit] DCI Placement

The Cadets have been DCI Division I World Champions nine times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2000, and 2005. The three consecutive victories from 1983-1985 were the first "three-peat" in DCI history, and the only corps that did so without including a tie for the title with another corps. (The only other was by The Cavaliers from 2000-2002). The corps has also placed second six times (1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2007) and third five times (1982, 1996, 2002, 2003, and 2009).

In 2005, The Cadets won all caption awards as well as all sub-caption awards, which has never been achieved by another drum corps. The 1986 and 1976 Blue Devils won every major caption, but did not capture some of the smaller sub-captions, and as such The Cadets are the only corps to "win everything."

The Cadets share the DCI world record for a score of 99.150 with The Cavaliers (2002) for their 2005 show "The Zone: Dreamscapes in Four Parts with a Door,"

[edit] Other Performances

In addition to DCI performances, The Cadets were guests at the 1996 Summer Olympics, performing the closer from their show and a special "band on the run" routine with comedian Bill Irwin. In 1986 they performed for President Ronald Reagan at the Statue of Liberty Ceremony in New York City. The Cadets marched in the Inauguration Parade for President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2009.

[edit] Tradition and Innovation

The corps can clearly trace its roots back to its founding. Its uniforms have remained virtually unchanged since the late 1930s except for a major although temporary change in 1958 and part of 1959. For the 1958 nationals the Cadets copied the Scout House uniforms with white shorts, golf style of shirt, and Aussie type hat because Holy Name Parish could not or would not allow the use of the Cadet uniforms for the 1958 Nationals. Through part of 1959, the Cadets marched with shorts and then returned to the typical style Cadet uniform in late 1959.

The corps frequently revisits the music that has won fans over in the past, such as Ron Nelson's Rocky Point Holiday. At the same time, the corps is a pioneering force in the evolution of Drum Corps as an art form. This was especially so during the early 1980s when the corps championed liberal use of asymmetric marching formations, including the famous "Z-Pull" by lauded drill designer George Zingali. The corps director, George Hopkins, has continued to express his desire that the drum corps activity evolve, with proposals to integrate non-brass instruments, electronic music, and similar musical reforms, receiving decidedly little approval from the community at large.

[edit] Repertoire

While The Cadets have not been grounded in one traditional genre (in recent years shows have included the music of Jethro Tull, Ernesto Lecuona, and The Young Persons' Guide To The Orchestra), the corps frequently revisits the music of Leonard Bernstein. Having once again featured his work in the upcoming 2009 season, The Cadets have used Bernstein music in four of their nine championship shows, and in total have had nine shows in the DCI circuit featuring Bernstein's works. Among these are performances of music from West Side Story, Candide, Mass, Jeremiah, On the Waterfront, Wonderful Town, Fancy Free and Concerto for Orchestra. They have also performed music by John Adams, Aaron Copland, David Holsinger, Gavin Greenaway, Johan de Meij, Philip Sparke, Jan van der Roost, Björk, Bernard Herrmann, John Williams and Frank Ticheli. As well as original compositions by long time arrangers Jay Bocook (Brass), Tom Aungst (battery, front ensemble through 1994) and Neil Larivee (front ensemble since 1994).

[edit] Shows by year (DCI era)

[edit] External links

• The Cadets page at Youth Education in the Arts
• Cadets History site