Local Graduate Jonathan Delgadillo Performing With Traveling Ensemble

Drum Corps International (DCI) is a world-class performing arts organization that some musicians can only hope to participate in. This year, though, a local young trumpet player is more than just dreaming of earning a spot in an ensemble.

Jonathan Delgadillo, a 2023 graduate of La Grange High School and former drum major of the school’s marching band, can now be seen marching on one of the largest stages in the marching arts scene with Genesis DBC, an Austin-based drum and bugle corps.

“I’ve had so much fun on tour so far,” said Delgadillo. “Getting to try out a new experience like this has been something I’ve wanted to do ever since I joined marching band my freshman year of high school.”

DCI officially kicked off its championship competitions with the Southwestern Championships on July 22, hosted at the Alamodome in San Antonio. But, group rehearsals started as early as November of 2022, and auditions for the 2023 season began right as the 2022 season came to a close in August.

Delgadillo explained that for his audition, he had to send in recordings that displayed both his marching and trumpet-playing abilities. Though hundreds of people audition each year, he was one of roughly 150 people who earned a spot in Genesis’ 2023 show.

When spring training was complete, Genesis began touring the country in June, adding more and more of their 2023 show to the field with each public performance. Typically, corps are transported by charter bus to each location that they will be performing at. Once there, local high schools open up their gyms and fields to the corps for overnight stays and daily rehearsals.

In total, corps end up spending 80 days on the road during the summer months, living and breathing their show day in and day out.

“Traveling so much can be a little rough sometimes since I’m away from my family, but the bus rides are always pretty entertaining,” said Delgadillo. “There have been times where we’ve all broken out into song together on the bus… there was also one time where we ran into a few other corps during a Bu-cee’s stop. It was a little crazy (in the store), but it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Genesis’ show this year is titled “Symbiosis,” combining electronic sound and LED color guard props with live music and props depicting natural materials. The show is split up into four movements and is narrated by an AI voice similar to that of Apple’s Siri.

Though to some it may sound like a simple marching band show, performances like Genesis’ and every other corps’ aren’t learned overnight. A typical rehearsal can last from sun up until sun down, explained Delgadillo. Each day is split up into ‘blocks,’ or chunks of time spent focusing on specific sections of the show or techniques that need to be worked on.

And now that the world championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, are less than 20 days away, it’s more important than ever that corps make their shows cleaner and more concise during rehearsals.

“To say that this season has gone by too fast is an understatement. I can’t wait to be back at home, but at the same time, I really don’t want this summer to end,” said Delgadillo.

Once the season comes to an end, Delgadillo is looking forward to starting classes at Blinn. Though he doesn’t currently plan on starting a career in the music performance industry, the trumpet player does plan on minoring in music when he transfers from Blinn to a university.

He also hopes to return to the drum corps scene next season, but is keeping his options open in regards to which corps he auditions for. But for now, Delgadillo is keeping his eyes on the prize: a first place finish at Indy.