The Green Machine Announce Music Design Staff for the 2023 Season
The Cavaliers have begun to announce their design staff going into next season
Today, The Cavaliers announced several key music design staff members for the 2023 season. Coming in for next year is Richard Saucedo as the Brass Arranger and David Starnes as the Program Coordinator.
Richard Saucedo is a name any fan of the activity should be very familiar with and is returning to the role that he held during his previous time at The Cavaliers from 2000-2008. His original compositions and other brass arrangements during his time there led to five DCI World Champion titles and some of the most iconic musical moments in DCI history. Since 2008, Saucedo has held positions at Blue Stars as the Brass Arranger and more recently as an Ensemble Consultant for the Blue Devils. Outside of DCI, he is recognized for his contributions to the Carmel High School band as a director for 31 years (with BOA Grand National Titles in 2005 and 2012 before retiring in 2013) and being a composer for wind band. Saucedo has also spent time since 2013 adjudicating and is currently a chief judge for BOA.
David Starnes is joining The Cavaliers as the head of the design team going into the 2023 season. He was most recently named the Executive Director for Spirit of Atlanta going into the 2022 season before they elected to not field a corps in January. His most notable role in DCI was as a Design Advisor for Carolina Crown from 2013 to 2018, where he contributed to their first Championship in 2013 and several medals throughout the remainder of his time there. He is currently the orchestra director at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, where he was also the band director from its opening in 2000 until 2011. From 2011 to 2020, he was the head director at West Carolina University, one of the most prestigious and innovative college marching bands in the nation and one of the few who perform corps style shows as opposed to more traditional halftime programs. Starnes has also adjudicated for both DCI and BOA.
Both of these names should excite fans and prospective members of The Cavaliers given their extensive background of success in the activity. Pulling big names with varied backgrounds, including one from the corps’ most successful era along with a Coordinator known for being a leader in innovation, fans should be ready to expect a quality product for the next DCI season. Combined with their returning percussion staff, who gave the corps their highest placing caption in 2022, the Green Machine is looking hungry to reclaim one of the coveted top six spots. The instructional staff for these captions has yet to be announced, but with the experience these hirings have brought in, it wouldn’t be surprising to see many high level names following along. Be sure to subscribe to GEM to get updates as soon as they come in!