DRUMLine Live Brings Top Marching Band Performers to the Meyerhoff, February 17

Musical selections include songs by Aretha Franklin, James Brown and today’s Top 40 hits

Baltimore, Md. (January 19, 2009) — More than 40 musicians and dancers from the nation’s top historically black colleges and university marching bands will bring their infectious enthusiasm and athleticism to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall for one night only in DRUMLine Live on Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. Inspired by the 2002 film, Drumline, DRUMLine Live is a theatrical production that brings the music and dance from the film to the concert stage. See below for complete program information.

“DRUMLine Live showcases the talent and creativity of the musicians and performers in much greater detail than the movie,” Music Director Don Roberts explained. “Nothing compares to the power of hearing a band live or seeing the dazzling choreography up close. This is a musical revue with all the glitz of the stage and all the funk of an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) halftime performance.”

The tradition of show style marching began more than fifty years ago within the HBCU and has since grown into a sport of its own. Show style marching features high stepping, funky dance rhythms, repertoire that ranges from classical to Top 40 and the signature “drum line face-off” where each band’s percussion section “battles” for the top spot on the field. In addition to the drum line face-off, musical numbers in DRUMLine Live include Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” James Brown’s “I Feel Good” and Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” along with surprise selections from today’s top pop and R&B artists.

Most performers are recent college graduates in their early to mid-twenties and hail from top HBCU schools including Florida A&M, Tennessee State, Southern University, Miles College, South Carolina State, Winston-Salem State, Morris Brown College and Norfolk State University.

About DRUMLine Live
The show-stopping new attraction, DRUMLine Live, brings the black marching band tradition to the theatrical stage for the very first time. Featuring a large cast of colorful and flamboyant performers from America’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the production presents the rousing and rhythmic sounds of the great brass past including Earth, Wind and Fire and Tower of Power side-by-side with the hottest contemporary hip-hop and R&B.

The stirring sound of trumpets, explosive choreography and incredible feats of athleticism from the "steppers” and dancers, will bring the audience to its feet. But the heart of the show is unquestionably the talented group of African American percussionists who form the "drumline." The showdown of rhythm and speed between the "lines" will shock you with its precision and pulsing force. A glimpse into an American experience that many have never seen before; this historic tradition is alive with intensity.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
DRUMLine Live
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.*—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

*Please note the early start time.

Tickets for these concerts range from $20-$60 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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