YEA! Changes
Crossmen to hire new director; Gino Cipriani leaves Cadets
by Chris Hollenback, DCW Editor
Staff turnover is nothing new for The Cadets and Crossmen, but that
experience will have to come in handy this off-season because the two YEA
corps already have changes at key staff positions and the off-season's still
young.
Jeff Bridges, the Crossmen's corps director the last two years, will not
return next summer. George Hopkins, Executive Director of YEA and The
Cadets Corps Director, elected not to renew Bridges' contract. Bridges
helped build the corps back into prominence, hiring key staffers such as
brass arranger Chuck Naffier and percussion caption head Lee Beddis. Both
units improved dramatically over Bridges' tenure. The corps culminated his
term with a powerful performance in Buffalo at the 2001 championships, a
show that was one of the most popular with fans all year.
"His contract was only for a year," Hopkins said. "Back in August, I told
him out of respect for all I'd be reviewing his contract (at the end of the
summer)." Hopkins said the decision was difficult because he spends his
summer touring with The Cadets, not the Crossmen.
"I'm not there," he said. "I see what I see, but I'm getting reports, I
check them out to see if they're valid and sometimes you hear from other
people that they're not. I rely on people's opinions, and they're often
diverse."
Photo by David Rice
Hopkins said Bridges still works for the YEA band program and judges on
weekends. Hopkins said the decision wasn't the soap opera script that drum
corps fans were writing in Internet chat rooms.
"They make it sound like it's a broken relationship," Hopkins said. "That's
not the case. Jeff's a good person; this was not dramatic. As I looked
forward a few years, it became more likely that we'd look for someone else."
As of press time, Hopkins did not know for certain who the next director
would be.
"Ideally it would be a person who would work full time for YEA, but that's
not likely," he said. "I've talked to quite a few people. Some I think are
very strong, but they're not available."
Key pillars of Bridges' staff remain in place. Beddis and Dean Musson will stay as the percussion and brass caption heads. Naffier will remain the brass arranger.
"Any time I get a chance to work with friends as wise and talented as Jeff
Bridges, I consider it a treat," Naffier said. "I'm especially happy that
Jeff, as a Crossmen alum, was part of a team that helped the Crossmen put
entertaining drum corps back on the field. I look forward to coming back and
continuing down that path. But more importantly, our friendship remains,
and I treasure that."
"I'm looking forward to moving to the next level this year as a drum corps
and as a percussion section," Beddis said. "New additions of Jeff Hassan, Jim Ancona and
Frank Chapple to the percussion staff are exciting."
Hopkins said Cadets Brass Caption Head Gino Cipriani tendered his resignation.
"He left," Hopkins said. "Because of the medical situation with his wife and his new baby, he said he had to depart." Cipriani is revered in the activity for his work with the Blue Devils and is currently an instructor for the three-time DCA senior corps champion Syracuse Brigadiers.
Jay Bocook, brass arranger, has retired. Don Hill will replace him.
Hill marched with the Des Plaines Vanguard, one of DCI's original top twelve corps, from 1971-73. He then marched his age-out year with the LaCrosse Blue Stars in 1975. Hill taught the Blue Stars hornline from 1976-81. He took over as caption head in 1977, and began arranging duties in 1978.
In 1982, Hill left teaching to begin his judging career, a career that lasted from 1982 to last year. During that time, he served as the brass caption head for Drum Corps Midwest from 1989 - 1992, and as the caption chairman for brass and music general effect for DCI, from 1993 - 1999.
Wayne Dillon and Joe Fussell will return on the brass staff from last season. Dillon will be the new caption head, Hopkins said. The Cadets have hired Derek Gipson, who has worked with BLAST! and Carolina Crown. Bill Davern and Matt Harloff, band directors, round out the brass staff.
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