If you're feeling patriotic and would like to hear a version of Battle Hymn of the Republic, you'll get just that next summer when the Chicago Royal Airs take the field for the first time since 1969. The corps will play the music that made the corps famous, including arrangements by Colonel Truman Crawford of Alexander's Ragtime Band, Ballyhoo and John Brown's Body, a swung version of Battle Hymn.

If you haven't reserved your tickets for DCI week in Madison, WI next August, it would be wise to do so now, because the corps is gearing up for a performance in the hallowed Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. You can purchase tickets through the DCI website.

Dan Acheson, DCI Executive Director, confirmed that he is holding a spot for the Royal Airs to perform either Friday or Saturday that week.

The comeback of the corps is a tribute to the man who founded it in 1958, Sie Lurye. His daughter, Jackie Lurye Borrelli, is the new director.




"This is a one-time tribute to my father," Borrelli said. "My dad would be so excited right now. The Royal Airs were such a big part of his life and I know we will do him proud when we take that first step onto the field."

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