Biography
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Years Active
1984 – 1993 (9 years)
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Members
- Clark Gardner
- Nick Angelis
Star of Indiana was founded in 1984 to bring together leading professional music instructors, choreographers and arrangers to provide advanced musical education to some of the nation's most talented student musicians. This progressive musical organization was created with a grant from Cook Group Incorporated, a leader in cardiovascular medical device manufacturing based in Bloomington, Indiana.
Star of Indiana originated as a 128-member unit which competed in the demanding arena of international drum and bugle corps competition. It was the first corps in history to finish in the Top Ten at Drum Corps International's (DCI) World Championships in its first year of competition. Top Ten finishes in the World Championships followed annually until the group ended its competitive career after the 1993 season.
In 1991, Star earned the title World Champion from Drum Corps International, adding Top Three finishes in the world championships for the next two years. Overall, the group won more titles from 1990 to 1993 than any other corps at that time.
After a public performance in 1992, the group's leadership decided it wanted to do more than entertain the public with a 10-minute drum corps routine. After completing the 1993 competitive season, Star left the field of drum and bugle corps competition and changed its focus to develop a new concept in brass and percussion performance. By using the powerful instrumental music and precise choreography of a drum corps to reinterpret everything from Broadway and popular movie musicals to classical music compositions, Star of Indiana created a new kind of stage show that appeals to audiences of all ages.
The result was a highly successful ten-city tour in the summer of 1994 featuring Star of Indiana with The Canadian Brass, the world's best-known brass quintet. Named "Brass Theater," this tour-de-force of musical virtuosity took audiences and critics by storm.
"Brass Theater gives us the chance to create something totally new," explains James Mason, producer of Brass Theater and executive director of Star of Indiana. "It is our vehicle for developing musical innovations, providing an opportunity for new explorations and experiences."
In 1995 and 1996, Star of Indiana continued its musical growth, refining Brass Theater with The Canadian Brass for two new tours to even greater audiences. They released three CD's of the tours, appeared nationally on a special broadcast by PBS, and performed live on such famous stages as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood and other leading venues.
With the introduction of Brass Theater, Star of Indiana instituted a college scholarship program for its members, which include students from Indiana and many other states. More than 80 percent of Star of Indiana's cast members earn their college tuition for participating in Brass Theater.
The Brass Theater phenomenon succeeds through a relentless drive to excel while pushing the limits of musicianship, stage performance and theatrical presentation beyond the possible to the unimagined. "The single most exciting part of Brass Theater," executive director James Mason summarizes, "is the constant realization that the only limit to what we can accomplish is our own imagination."
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