The Mandarins are excited to announce their Percussion team, consisting of new and returning faces of some of the most influential instructors and designers in the marching activity. The percussion caption will continue to be headed by Caption Manager Darren VanDerpoel.
Corps Director JW Koester is excited to continue the momentum from the 2018 season. “After a successful 2018 season I am looking forward to see the 2019 percussion team in action. Darren has assembled a strong staff to push the percussion section to greater heights in 2019,” stated Koester. “The percussion section has an opportunity to build on last years’ achievements and I believe that the percussion members will benefit greatly from the experience and talent of the 2019 staff.”
Percussion Caption Manager Darren VanDerpoel is also enthralled to return for the 2019 season. “I am excited to have back several of our talented staff members for the 2019 season, as well as welcome in some new faces to our percussion team at the Mandarins. Going into the new season I feel our team is becoming stronger and more cohesive. There is a unified energy and fire to build upon the success of the last two seasons and set new records for the Mandarins,” says VanDerpoel.
The Mandarins 2019 Percussion Staff is composed of: Darren VanDerpoel; Percussion Caption Manager / Battery Arranger; Jazper Saldana, Front Ensemble Manager; Dalia Berman, Front Ensemble Tech; Jimmy Nguyen, Front Ensemble Tech; Connie Truong, Front Ensemble Tech; Jonathan Wicks, Battery Manager / Tenor Tech; Rudy Arzaga, Percussion Advisor; Chris Cyr, Visual Instructor / Ensemble Consultant; Richard Ramos, Battery Manager / Snare Tech; Chris Morales, Snare Tec; Zachary Watson, Snare Tech; Zakk Hollander, Tenor Tech; Shubham Gupta, Tenor Tech; Otto Peralta, Bass Tech; Elliot Duran, Bass Tech; and Vanessa Ramos, Bass Tech.
2019 Season Auditions Begin in California
If you would like to play a part in the Mandarins 2019 Percussion, the first 2019 audition camps will begin in November and December in California. For a full 2019 audition schedule and a list of all staff bios, visit http://mandarins.org/auditions/signup.php.
The Sacramento Mandarins for the first time in the corps’ 55-year history achieved its highest ranking, finishing 10th in Drum Corps International Finals Competition. The Mandarins are proud to have impacted the lives of thousands of youth, teaching them the values of respect, leadership, discipline, and good citizenship with a true sense of purpose.
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