With the culmination of the DCI World Championship finals at Lucas Oil Stadium this month, Yamaha celebrates 33 years of collaboration with Marching Music’s Major League. Yamaha is the official drumline brand for 20 total drum corps.
Yamaha corps have compiled an enviable record of accomplishments, including 17 DCI Championships and 14 Fred Sanford High Percussion Awards, since Yamaha percussion entered the activity in 1985. In addition, corps that rely on Yamaha instruments have won a third of all gold, silver and bronze medals bestowed in DCI competition over that time period.
“Yamaha dominates DCI in no uncertain terms,” said Troy C. Wollwage, percussion marketing manager, Band & Orchestral division, Yamaha Corporation of America. “In 2017, for the first time ever, there were eight corps using Yamaha percussion instruments in the Top 12 Finale and nine corps using Yamaha wind instruments,” Wollwage said. He continued, “This is the most ever and is a testament to the quality, consistency and manufacturing these corps need every day during to perform at their highest level.”
This year’s DCI World Class Silver Medalist Santa Clara Vanguard received the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award for the second straight year. The award was presented to the corps by Yamaha B&O Director of Marketing Lisa MacDonald. In addition, Carolina Crown won its sixth Jim Ott High Brass Award out of the last nine years.