leadership

Roger TreacherExecutive DirectorRoger marched for five years in drum corps UK (DCUK) in the late 80's. After leaving school, Roger studied mechanical and production engineering at Reading Technical College, England. After aging out, he focused on fa… — **Roger Treacher**
**Executive Director**
Roger marched for five years in drum corps UK (DCUK) in the late 80's. After leaving school, Roger studied mechanical and production engineering at Reading Technical College, England. After aging out, he focused on family and career. His career over the past 25 years has primarily been focused on international sales and marketing in the food industry. Positions held include, Global Key Accounts Manager, Sales Director, Vice President and Owner. Roger has also been involved with mergers and acquisitions of privately held, and small to medium sized manufacturing based companies. Roger moved from the UK to Dallas six years to open an office for a UK based company. Within a few months upon arrival, he joined a local all aged drum and bugle corps, which immediately gave him a new social circle of friends, all of whom have a passion for drum corps and the performing arts.
In 2009, Roger was one of the founding members of Vigilantes and served as corps director. In its first year, the corps won High Percussion and took third place overall at DCA A class world championships.
Roger is still heavily involved within the food industry today and is also the owner of Marching USA, Fort Worth. Marching USA is the sole importer/distributor of Premier percussion, Aluphone and Titan Field Frames in the US and Canada and is ViP's primary sponsor.

Tyler OrbisonEnsemble Director/Battery ArrangerTyler is one of the founders of ViP. He has been actively involved in music performance, education and design for over twenty years.Tyler has performed with many notable groups, including Lone Star Drum… — **Tyler Orbison**
**Ensemble Director, Program Coordinator, Battery Arranger**
Tyler is one of the founders of ViP. He has been actively involved in music performance, education and design for over twenty years.
Tyler has performed with many notable groups, including Lone Star Drum & Bugle Corps, Carolina Crown and the Dallas Mavericks Drum Line. While studying percussion performance at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Tyler had the opportunity to tour and perform frequently with the wind ensemble, indoor drum line and percussion ensemble, a nationally recognized group under the direction of Dr. Brian West. As a student and performer, Tyler was fortunate to study with many leading marching percussion educators, including Paul Rennick, Jeff Queen, Mickey Hartzog and Allen Joanis.
Currently, Tyler works as Ensemble Director and Batterie Arranger of the Boswell High School Indoor Drumline, a current PSW finalist and a three-time WGI PSW Semi-finalist. He also serves in design/consulting/advisory roles with various other scholastic ensembles in the North Texas area.Tyler is an active arranger, clinician and adjudicator, not only across the United States, but worldwide. Tyler proudly endorses Vic Firth and Remo.

**Peyton Alexander**
**Assistant Director**
Peyton has been involved in marching arts for over 10 years. She currently works as a sales consultant for PwC in Dallas. Peyton graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Professional Sales, where she also spent her weekends devoted to performing or teaching different marching ensembles.
Peyton’s marching experience includes marching cymbals with Resistance Indoor Percussion, the Seattle Cascades, and Vigilantes Indoor Percussion. She has also been a staff member for Guthrie High School, Morris High School, Southmoore High School and Keller High. She also had the opportunity to step in as Head Color Guard Director for McLoud High School. Peyton also has experience in marching photography and graphic design and brings those skills to the table for ViP.
Peyton is excited to return to ViP for her third season in her role and is excited to continue seeing ViP grow in success.

Design

**Jonathan Zuniga**
**Front Ensemble Arranger, Composer, Sound Designer**
As an educator, Jonathan has worked with some of the top ensembles in the marching arts, including Pulse Percussion, The Cadets, Blue Stars, and The Academy. He served at Pacific Crest as Music Coordinator and Front Ensemble & Electronics Composer/Arranger from 2017-2021 and as Creative Director in 2022. He has also designed and taught for such renowned groups as George Mason University and soon to be Blue Knights Indoor Percussion. as well as local Southern California high schools — Chino Hills, Los Alamitos, Great Oak, La Quinta, Sunny Hills, Temple City, Rancho Cucamonga and Cerritos to name a few..

Jonathan performed with The Academy, Blue Devils, and RCC. He served on the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Classification Committe for three years and is an official artist for Vic Firth, Zildjian, Mike Balter, and Remo. He is also co-owner and designer at Front2Back Music (front2backmusic.com), a company that creates shows for marching bands and indoor ensembles.
Jonathan lives in Huntington Beach, California with his bicycle and DoorDash.

**Evan Blackard**
**Design Consultant**
Evan is the former Director of Percussion for the Richland High School Cluster in North Richland Hills, Texas. During his 15 years at Richland High School, he oversaw the percussion element for numerous Middle School Honor Band Finalists, High School Honor Band Hinalists, UIL State Marching Contest Finalists and BOA Regional, Super Regional and Grand National Finalists.
Under his direction, Richland High School was named the 2016 Percussive Arts Society “International Percussion Ensemble Competition” champion, as well as being showcased at the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival in 2017. Evan also created the one-of-a-kind “Richland Percussion Show”, a percussion- centric stage production featuring components of percussion ensemble literature, pop and rock music, theatre, and electronic music.
In addition to the Richland Cluster, Mr. Blackard has taught with the University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, and the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. Some of his teachers include: Paul Rennick, Scott Johnson, Bill Bachman, Sean Vega, Ron Fink, Robert Schietroma, Jim Yakas, Matt Savage, Mark Ford, and Leigh Howard Stevens.
Evan holds a BA in Music from the University of North Texas and is currently a full time percussion arranger, wind arranger, sound designer and composer. Providing successful design for pageantry groups of all levels, Evan’s work is consistently described as effective, accessible, innovative...and fun to play!
Evan lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with his wonderful wife Michelle and their dog, Lola.

**Rachel Montañez**
**Choreography**
Rachel Montañez is a freelance graphic designer and colorguard director originally from Long Island, NY now residing in Fort Worth, TX. She is currently the Colorguard Director at Boswell High School in Saginaw, TX and a member of the colorguard staff at the Madison Scouts.
Rachel was introduced to the marching arts activity at Mineola High School in 2008 and hasn’t looked back since. Her performance career continued independently with The Long Island Sunrisers in 2009, 2011, 2013-2014, The Connecticut Hurricanes in 2012, The Cadets in 2013-2015, Alter Ego IW in 2013, 2017-2018 and Fusion World in 2019.
Aside from marching, Rachel has had the opportunity to teach, choreograph and design for programs all over the country and continues to feel very grateful for the doors that this activity has opened her. Rachel is super excited to be returning to the creative team at ViP for the 2024 season!

coordinators

Josh GregoryBattery CoordinatorJosh is an active percussion performer and educator in the DFW area. He’s currently the Assistant Percussion Director at Cleburne High School in Cleburne, TX. He also works as a Battery Technician for L.D Bell HS, Saginaw HS, and Timber Creek HS Indoor Percussion. During his time at Timber Creek, they were a WGI Scholastic Open finalist in 2018 and NTCA Open Class Champions in 2018 and 2019.Prior to joining the battery staff, Josh was a member of VIP from 2015-2018; serving as Battery Captain for his age out. He also performed with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2017; earning the DCI Silver Medal and the Fred Sanford award for Best Percussion. After aging out, he went on to teach ViP as a snare tech in 2019-2020. He currently serves as Battery Coordinator for Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. During his time as a performer, he has had the privilege of learning under some of the smartest minds in the marching percussion world including Evan Blackard, Daniel Allen, Tyler Orbison and Paul Rennick.Outside of teaching, Josh is a freelance musician who performs with the Dallas Mavericks Drumline and Dynamic Rhythm Entertainment (DRE). DRE encompasses many of the local drums gigs in the DFW area including the FC Dallas drumline and Cutting Edge Haunted House drumline. Born and raised in the DFW area, he currently resides in Fort Worth, TX — **Josh Gregory**
**Battery Coordinator**
Josh is an active percussion performer and educator in the DFW area. He’s currently the Assistant Percussion Director at Saginaw High School in Saginaw, TX. He’s also worked as a Battery Technician for L.D Bell HS and Timber Creek HS Indoor Percussion. During his time at Timber Creek, they were a WGI Scholastic Open finalist in 2018 and NTCA Open Class Champions in 2018 and 2019.
Prior to joining the battery staff, Josh was a member of VIP from 2015-2018; serving as Battery Captain for his age out. He also performed with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2017; earning the DCI Silver Medal and the Fred Sanford award for Best Percussion. During his time as a performer, he’s had the privilege of learning under some of the smartest minds in the marching percussion world including Evan Blackard, Daniel Allen, Tyler Orbison and Paul Rennick.
After aging out, he went on to teach ViP as a snare tech in 2019-2020. He now currently serves as Battery Coordinator for ViP and Percussion Caption Head for Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps.
Outside of teaching, Josh is a freelance musician who performs with the Dallas Mavericks Drumline and Dynamic Rhythm Entertainment (DRE). DRE encompasses many of the local drums gigs in the DFW area including the FC Dallas drumline and Cutting Edge Haunted House drumline. Born and raised in the DFW area, he currently resides in Fort Worth, TX.

**Eric Roundy**
**Front Ensemble Coordinator**
Eric Roundy is an active educator and performer based in Fort Worth, Texas. He currently serves as a percussion specialist and clinician for Boswell High School and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. Eric has worked with many schools throughout Tennessee and Texas, including Farragut High School, Fred J. Page High School, South Gibson County High School, Halls High School, The Kinkaid School, Morton Ranch High School, Seymour High School, and Walker Valley High School. Eric has also been heavily involved in the DCI and WGI community working with such groups as Music City Drum & Bugle Corps, the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps, Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps, Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps and has served as the Front Ensemble Coordinator for Vigilantes Indoor Percussion based out of Fort Worth, Texas since 2019.
As an active performer, Eric performed regularly with the live house band for the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN as a featured percussionist. As a soloist, Eric has been named a Finalist for the 2014 Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, a Semi-finalist of the 2015 Great Plains International Marimba Competition and placed 1st in the 2016 TNPAS Collegiate Multi-Percussion Competition. In 2014, Eric placed 1st in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition resulting in a solo performance at Carnegie Hall. He also performed regularly with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the 2015 Inaugural Percussion Arts Society All-Star International Percussion Ensemble. In the marching arts, Eric has been a member of the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps (2008-2010), Carolina Crown (2011, 2012, 2014), and Music City Mystique (2014-2016).
Eric holds a degree in music from Tennessee Tech University, where he studied with Dr. Eric Willie, Dr. Colin Hill, and Dr. Brad Meyer. His other teachers include Brad Martin, Keith Brown, and Betty Smelcer.
Eric is a proud endorser of Innovative Percussion, Inc. and Zildjian Cymbals.

Laura VokeyVisualLaura Vokey is a DFW-based educator and performer and a graduate of University of North Texas, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music education. Her teaching experience includes working as a visual technician and choreographer with high school marching bands and indoor percussion ensembles (Creekview HS, Keller HS, Timber Creek HS), as well as serving as Assistant Band Director at Carroll Middle School in Carroll ISD.Laura’s performing experience includes 5 summers marching with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle corps, where she served as Baritone section leader and Horn Sergeant. Her performing experience also includes Monarch Independent Percussion, the UNT Green Brigade Colorguard, and she actively performs with Sabor Puro, a DFW-based Cumbia ensemble. Laura is incredibly excited to be joining the visual team at ViP! — **Laura Vokey**
**Visual Coordinator**
Laura Vokey is a DFW-based educator and performer, and a graduate of University of North Texas, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Laura currently is the Associate Band Director at Tidwell Middle School in Northwest ISD, but her teaching experience also includes serving as a visual technician with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps, as well as multiple marching bands and scholastic indoor percussion groups in the DFW area.
Laura’s performing experience includes 5 summers marching with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle corps, Monarch Independent Percussion, the UNT Green Brigade Colorguard, and she actively performs with Sabor Puro, a DFW-based Cumbia ensemble.
Laura is incredibly excited to be returning to the visual team at ViP!

Battery

**Tony Valdez**
**Snares**
Tony Valdez is a Percussion Educator from the DFW Area. His marching career spanned four years, during which he performed with The Guardians (2016), Phantom Regiment (2017-2018), and ViP (2016-2019), working under phenomenal percussion educators such as Tyler Orbison and Rob Ferguson. Tony’s time with ViP earned him an Open Class gold medal in 2016 with the production “We The People," as well as 3 World Class semi-finals qualifications.
Tony began garnering success in his percussion career by helping the Grapevine HS Drumline win their first championship in many years. Since then, he has worked throughout the metroplex with groups such as Coppell HS, Flower Mound HS and The Colony HS taking on many key roles such as battery coordinator, designer, and percussion arranger. In 2020 Tony played a key role in designing The Colony HS Drumline's premiere indoor program in which they swept the WGI Scholastic A competition, landing first place.
Tony graduated from The University of North Texas in 2023 with a Bachelors in Music. There he was able to study directly under master educators like Jose Aponte, Sandi Rennick, and Paul Rennick while also balancing his time as an educator and designer.

**Cameron Cavender**
**Snares**
Cameron grew up in a musical household, beginning to play drums and piano as well as write his own music all before starting elementary school. Once in high school, the snare drum stole his heart and propelled him into a storied marching career spanning 20 seasons and 8 different ensembles.
His time with SCV, ViP, and Monarch landed him two WGI finals appearances, a DCI gold medal, an I&E gold medal, and two Fred Sanford awards for high percussion. Having recently aged out with ViP in 2022, he now teaches high school and lessons out of Fort Worth.

**Kelly Murray**
**Bass Drums**
Kelly was a member of Vigilantes Indoor Percussion (2014-2020) and Boston Crusaders (2017-2019). While marching with these groups, he has had the privilege to learn under Colin McNutt, Andrew Ricketts, Tyler Orbison, Brian Lowe, Valerie Wharton and Kevin Hanrahan.
Since his ageout, Kelly has taught at Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps, Spirit of Atlanta, Timber Creek School and Boston Crusaders. He is currently in his 6th season of teaching at Timber Creek High School and just finished his second season on the bass drum faculty at the Boston Crusaders.
Outside of the marching arts, Kelly lives in Keller, TX where he works as an IT professional.

**Alexander Irvine**
**Bass Drums**
Alexander Irvine is from North Richland Hills, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School in 2015. After graduating. Alexander marched with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2015-2018. Alexander started teaching in 2019 with The Colony High School marching band. He then worked with The Colony in their inaugural indoor drumline season. Alexander now works with the Azle High School marching band and indoor drumline and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.

**William Archamboult**
**Bass Drums**
Mr. William Archamboult is an independent contractor in Fort Worth, Texas.
After relocating from the Pacific Northwest to Fort Worth, Texas in the  Summer of 2021, Mr. Archamboult accepted the role of the Director of Percussion at Nazarene Christian Academy.
Previously, he served as the Percussion Arranger and Caption Head  for The Century High School Marching Band in Hillsboro, Oregon from  2008-2015. Additionally, he was the Program Coordinator for The  Century HS Percussion Ensemble, establishing the group as a NWAPA  Champion and 5-time medalist from 2009-2016.
In addition to teaching in the Portland area, Mr. Archamboult played  weekly at Hope Fellowship Church, performed with The Portland Trailblazers Drumline, 3rd Angle New Music Ensemble, and The Pacific Crest Wind Symphony.
Mr. Archamboult is a founding staff member of Portland's 2009 OC Indoor, and served the Oregon Crusaders D&BC organization as the Bass Drum Technician from 2009-2011. OC Indoor was awarded a WGI Independent A-Class Championship in 2009, an Open-Class Bronze in 2010, and became a World-Class Finalist in 2011. During these years of growth for the organization, The Oregon Crusaders D&BC earned two Open Class Silver placements. The OC Bass Drum Ensemble earned a Gold Medal at the Drum Corps International Individual & Ensemble competition in 2010, and was honored to perform an encore at World Class Semifinals.
In his hometown of Sioux Falls, Mr. Archamboult appeared with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. He gained experience working alongside the SDSO Principal Percussionist as the Visual Designer for the WGI PIO Finalist, Groove Pursuit from 2004-2006.
A proud alumnus of the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps, Mr. Archamboult served as their Bass Drum Technician from 2003-2006. He performed with the 1998 DCM I&E Champion Pioneer Bassline, returning to help the corps achieve their first Div. 1 Semi-Finalist berth in 1999, and the corps highest placement in 2000. Also in 2000, Mr. Archamboult was a member of the WGI Independent World Champion, Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble.
In Milwaukee, WI where his first season in the activity began, Mr. Archamboult earned a WGI World-Class Bronze medal in 2001 with the Sacramento Freelancers - forever grateful for the opportunity to age out a veteran of that historic organization.
The Summer of 2022 brings new opportunities partnering with percussion programs in the DFW metroplex.
With gratitude toward many amazing representatives, Mr. Archamboult proudly endorses quality products from Pro-Mark, Evans, Planet Waves, Puresound, and the D’Addario Corporation.

Hayden Gish

Quads

Hayden Gish is a percussion educator and performer based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After growing up in San Marcos, TX he moved to Fort Worth in 2019 to pursue a Bachelor of Music Education from Texas Christian University under Dr. Brian West. After graduating in 2023 he began his current position in Prosper ISD as the Percussion Director at Rushing Middle School, where he works with percussion students across the district in a variety of performance settings.

During his time in Fort Worth, Gish performed with the internationally recognized TCU Percussion Orchestra, including two performances at PASIC in 2019 and 2022 as a winner of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition. He spent his summers as a tenor drummer with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021 and 2022, serving as section leader. Gish continued his drum corps involvement during the summer of 2023 with the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps as a tenor technician.

**Jon Manyard**
**Quads**
Jon Maynard is in his first year as a Train Dispatcher at BNSF Railway, based in Saginaw, TX. Prior to working in the transportation industry, Jon spent his winters marching quads at Vigilantes Indoor Percussion from 2013-2017, and his summers at Santa Clara Vanguard from 2013-2016. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 2016, Jon accepted the Director of Percussion position in Southlake Carroll ISD, where he served between 2017-2022. Jon currently lives in Azle, TX, with his wife Melody, and their son Sawyer.

**Nathan Rearick**
**Quads**
Nathan Rearick is an active percussion educator and performer. He has traveled across the nation sharing his passion of music with the world and has built quite a reputation in the percussive arts.
Nathan graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree, and the University of Alabama with a master’s degree, both in Percussion Performance. During his undergraduate, he was fortunate enough travel to the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) with the UNT Tenor Ensemble in 2015 and 2016, and the UNT Snare Ensemble in 2017, placing 1st all three times. He also performed with UNT Percussion ensemble, who was the winner of the Percussive Arts Society Call for Tapes and traveled to perform at PASIC in 2016. During his time in graduate school, he performed in the UA percussion ensemble, which was named the winner of 2020 Percussive Arts Society Call for Tapes. He also received 1st place in the individual snare competition in his division for PASIC 2020. In 2021, Nathan was a Semi-finalist in the Modern Snare Drum Competition. He has had the privilege of being taught by some of the great minds of percussion, including Paul Rennick, Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Poovilar Sriji, Tyler Orbison, Andrew Lynge, Kevin Welborn, and Daniel Allen.
During his studies, Nathan spent two summers traveling across the United States with Drum Corps International (DCI), one with the Troopers in 2016 and one with the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2017. While marching with SCV, the percussion section won the Fred Sanford award for best percussion performance. He has also spent three winters performing in Winter Guard International (WGI) with Vigilantes Indoor Percussion (VIP). In 2016, VIP took home the gold by placing 1st in their division.
Beyond his studies, Nathan has been involved with multiple performing ensembles across the DFW area. He has performed with Dynamic Rhythm Entertainment (DRE), which encompasses many drumlines in DFW, including the Dallas Mavericks drumline, FC Dallas drumline, and the Cutting Edge Haunted House drumline. While performing, Nathan has made a living teaching percussion. He has taught at several schools in the DFW area including Saginaw HS, Southlake Carroll HS, and Lebanon Trail HS. While in grad school, Nathan helped teach the Million Dollar Band Drumline both years of his masters. After aging out, Nathan has taught Troopers, Music City DC, and Guardians.
Currently, Nathan is on tour with the EDM artist ODESZA and their drumline. When Nathan isn’t performing or teaching, he enjoys reading, and watching basketball. Roll Tide and Go Mavs!

**Dylan Caruso**
**Quads**
Dylan is from Fort Worth, Texas, and recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. During his studies, he marched quads and was a two-time WGI World Class finalist for ViP from 2020 through 2023, where he aged out as section leader. He also marched as quad section leader for SCVC in 2019 and Music City in 2021. He is currently seeking an online Master of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.
His teaching experience includes Leander High School from 2019-2022, various high school summer camps, The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps in 2023, and now Saginaw High School and Duncanville High School. During his free time, Dylan enjoys playing chess, watching movies, and trying new food.

**Sammy Vazquez**
**Cymbals**
Sammy is from Baytown, TX but now resides in Plano, TX. Sammy is currently completing her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Psychology, at Texas A&M Commerce. Her performance experience began in 2018 with the Raiders Drum Corps and continued in 2021 with Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. She recently aged out at Monarch Independent in 2022.
She currently teaches at Allen High School and is now on the Cymbal Staff at Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps.

Randy RitcheyCymbalsRandy has been on the instructional staff for ViP since its inaugural season in 2013. He has been involved in the North Texas Indoor scene for a decade, marching with Surround Sound Percussion, Tyler Junior College Indoor, Imperi… — **Randy Ritchey**
**Cymbals**
Randy has been on the instructional staff for ViP since its inaugural season in 2013. He has been involved in the North Texas Indoor scene for a decade, marching with Surround Sound Percussion, Tyler Junior College Indoor, Imperial Percussion Theater and the Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps.
As an educator, Randy has become the cymbal guru of the DFW area, and is always in high demand. He has served as the cymbal instructor for Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps and the nationally recognized Boswell High School drum line for multiple years, as well as numerous other high schools in the DFW metroplex.

**Carson Crowell**
**Cymbals**
Carson Crowell is a multitalented percussionist originally from Tampa, Florida and relocated to Dallas in 2020. She began performing in Tampa during the 2010 season with Land o’ Lakes High School indoor percussion and joined Bay Area Percussion the following year until 2013. She then marched cymbals with the University of South Florida Herd of Thunder from the years of 2013-2017. During this time she Was a member of Infinity 2 (PIO) where she won the open class WGI championships in 2017 with a record breaking score. She was a staff member for Infinity World and Infinity 3 (PIA) from 2018-2020. During this time she also taught Unity Percussion and brought home another WGI championship win with a record breaking score. From 2018-2019 she worked as Front Ensemble director for Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel Florida and won the state title for the fall marching season and best percussion in the state. Aside from teaching after aging out she was a performing member for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drum line, Universal Studios, and Disney.

Front Ensemble

Jake BettsFront EnsembleJake is a percussion educator and performer based in Fort Worth, Texas. He began his marching career with the Boswell HS Indoor Drumline, a 3-time PSW Semi-finalist at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. He was also a member of Vigilantes Indoor Percussion for 5 seasons (2014-2018), and marched with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and 2018. Jake recently completed his undergraduate at the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance. Through many different outlets, Jake has had the opportunity to study with renowned performers and educators such as Mark Ford, Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, Brian West, Mike Jackson, and Kevin Shah. Jake is currently serving as the Assistant Percussion Director at Chisholm Trail High School in EMS-ISD. — **Jake Betts**
**Front Ensemble**
Jake is a percussion educator and performer based in Fort Worth, Texas. He began his marching career with the Boswell HS Indoor Drumline, a 3-time PSW Semi-finalist at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. He was also a member of Vigilantes Indoor Percussion for 5 seasons (2014-2018), and marched with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and 2018.
Jake recently completed his undergraduate at the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance. Through many different outlets, Jake has had the opportunity to study with renowned performers and educators such as Mark Ford, Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, Brian West, Mike Jackson, and Kevin Shah.
Jake is currently serving as the Assistant Percussion Director at Chisholm Trail High School in EMS-ISD.

Kurt Swisher

Front Ensemble

Kurt Swisher is a percussion educator originally from Tyler, TX. He is an alumni of Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in music education where he studied with Brad Meyer and Ben Tomlinson. While at SFA, Kurt had the opportunity to perform at the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association Convention with the SFA Wind Ensemble and compete in the college chamber percussion ensemble competition at the 2019 Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

Kurt began his DCI/WGI career with Tyler Junior College Indoor Percussion in 2017, followed by Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019. He then went on to play timpani for the Boston Crusaders in 2021 and Pulse Percussion in 2022. While performing, he also taught at high schools in both Texas and California for marching band and indoor percussion.

Kurt currently lives in Stephenville and is the percussion director for Stephenville High School where he teaches 6th-12th grade percussion for the district. This will be his 2nd year on the front ensemble staff for Vigilantes Indoor Percussion.

Lauren Bolton

Front Ensemble

Lauren Bolton currently serves as the Percussion Director for the Martin High School pyramid in Arlington, Texas. Lauren has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas at Arlington where she studied percussion with Dr. Andrew Eldridge and Dr. Michael Varner. She is a WGI bronze and gold medalist and aged out of the activity with Vigilantes Indoor Percussion in 2017 after performing with the ensemble for four years. In addition, Lauren had the opportunity to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention of 2017, to commission and premiere Dustin Schulze’s Kateract for marimba, and is a proud Dynasty Artist and Educator.

Prior to joining the Martin Band program, Lauren served as the Percussion Director/Coordinator at Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Texas. Under Bolton's direction, both the Paschal and Martin Percussion programs have flourished, making a name for themselves at many DFW drumline contests and percussion ensemble festivals.

Lauren has been teaching percussion students in the DFW area since 2014. She has played an instrumental role in teaching the percussion sections at Arlington High School, Trinity High School, Kennedale High School, Southlake Carroll High School, Richland High School, and Paschal High School. Her private lesson studios have included the Arlington High School and Hebron High School clusters, and has taught many All-Region and front ensemble masterclasses in the DFW area. In addition, Lauren has taught several independent groups including Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps and Vigilantes Indoor Percussion.

Aside from being an active percussionist, performer, and educator in the DFW area, Lauren and her husband love to travel! They currently live in Fort Worth, TX with their corgis Watson and Bailey.

**Nathan Siegel**
**Front Ensemble**
Nathan is an active performer, educator and composer. He earned his bachelors degree in percussion performance with a minor in jazz studies at Indiana University and his masters degree in percussion performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is currently finishing his DMA at the University of North Texas.
His recent performance experience includes playing with the One o’clock lab band, North Texas Wind Texas Wind Symphony, UNT Percussion ensemble and Afro-Cuban and Brazillian Ensembles at UNT.
Nathan has been involved in the marching arts for several years, performing with Vigilantes Indoor Percussion in 2014, Rhythm X (‘16,’17) and the Bluecoats (‘18). He has taught the Front Ensemble at Legends Drum and Bugle corps and most recently Genesis drum and Bugle Corps.
His teachers include Dave Hall, Paul Rennick, Kevin Bobo, Mark Ford, Ed Smith, Jose Aponte, Doug Walter, John Tafoya, Michael Spiro, Steve Houghton, Brian West and Stuart Spoon.
Nathan writes and arranges percussion music for groups across the metroplex. Most recently, he composed a percussion ensemble piece titled “Ark” and a collection of six marimba etudes titled “Creatures of the Wood” both premiered at UNT.
Nathan primary specialties are solo marimba improvisational research and performance and Afro-Latin percussions throughout the Americas. A main focus of his keyboard research is dedicated to the expansion of what is technically possible on the marimba as well as a focus on improvisation at the keyboard and a method geared for advanced high school and early college percussionists without a background in Jazz. Nathan creates online content geared for young keyboard players and those who are interested in technique and improvisation. This fall, Nathan will present his clinic titled “Fun with Improvisin’” at the PASIC convention in Indianapolis.

**Simon Nguyen**
**Front Ensemble**
Simon Nguyen is a percussionist and educator hailing from Grand Prairie, Texas. He is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he is set to graduate in December of 2023. He’s had the privilege of studying various mediums of music under the direction and guidance of Dr. Andrew Eldridge, Professor Christopher Nadeau, Dr. Joe Moore, Dr. Douglas Stotter, Dr. Christopher Evans, and Dr. Clifton Evans. During his time at UTA, Simon performed in many ensembles on campus, such as the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and Maverick Marching Band. Simon is finishing up his last semester at UTA, serving as a clinical student teacher with the Harwood Junior High School Band and the Trinity High School Band in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD.
As an educator, Simon has taught lessons and marching percussion sections around the DFW area, serving as a private lesson instructor in Grand Prairie ISD, battery technician in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, and front ensemble instructor in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. As a marching arts performer, Simon was a member of Vigilantes Indoor Percussion for three seasons in the front ensemble (2020, 2022 – 2023), and he was also a member of Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps performing in the battery as a bass drummer (2020* – 2022). In both ensembles, Simon had the privilege of serving in leadership positions during his age-out seasons and performed under the instruction of notable educators of the activity, including Carlos Botello, Tyler Orbison, and Eric Roundy. Simon’s professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, the Texas Music Educators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
In his free time, Simon enjoys learning new foods to cook, going to concerts, gaming, and spending time with friends and family. As an alumnus of Vigilantes, Simon is excited to return on the other side as a part of the front ensemble educational staff!

Visual

**Eamonn Donnelly**
**Visual**
Eamonn Donnelly is a freelance visual designer, choreographer, and visual clinician residing in the DFW area. A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University’s music education program, Eamonn currently works with and designs for marching bands, color guards, and drumline throughout Texas and across the country. In addition, Eamonn is a sales representative at Director’s Assistant in Dallas, TX.
Eamonn’s performing experience includes four years as a euphonium at the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps (2016-2019), including receiving bronze, silver, and gold medals during that time, as well as aging out as section leader and Visual Performer of the year. He was also a member of Rhythm X’s visual ensemble (2018), finishing in second place in WGI’s world class. He has been on the visual staff of Bluecoats since 2022, and is super excited to step back into the world of WGI this winter at VIP!

**Andrew Cory**
**Visual**
Andrew Cory is from Southlake, TX. He began his marching career at the Boston Crusaders ('15) and then went on to march the Bluecoats ('16, '17, '18, '19).
Andrew has taught multiple groups throughout DFW, including Braswell HS, Melissa HS, Coppell HS, Byron Nelson HS, and currently teaches at Prosper HS. During the summer months, Andrew also serves on the visual staff of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps.
Andrew graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in Mathematics and minors in Education and Music.

ELECTRONICS

Sam FarrSound EngineerSam is a freelance audio engineer and producer currently residing in Denton, TX. He has worked as an engineer with various drum corps including Santa Clara Vanguard, Troopers, and Guardians, as well as high schools throughout the DFW metroplex including McKinney H.S., Hebron H.S., and many others. Sam also recently began working in sound design, and most recently designed the fall marching band shows for Byron Nelson High School and Splendora High School. Sam has been a musician and performer in a wide array of musical groups. He is an alumni of ViP and was a member in 2013, and ’15-’17. He also played snare in Troopers 2016 and Santa Clara Vanguard 2017, winning the Fred Sanford award for best percussion in 2017. After aging out, he continued performing with various bands in the Denton and Dallas music scenes. He currently plays in Denton-based rock bands Bad Dad Jokes (drums) and Have Near (guitar/vocals). He records and produces various DFW artists under the name Farr Out Sounds and has most recently worked with Itiswhatitis, Heavy Daze, and King Turtle. In his spare time he likes to read, mountain bike, and discover new music of all types. — **Sam Farr**
**Electronics Coorinator**
Sam is a freelance audio engineer and producer currently residing in Denton, TX. He has worked as an engineer with various drum corps including Santa Clara Vanguard, Troopers, and Guardians, as well as high schools throughout the DFW metroplex including McKinney H.S., Hebron H.S., and many others. Sam also recently began working in sound design, and most recently designed the fall marching band shows for Byron Nelson High School and Splendora High School.
Sam has been a musician and performer in a wide array of musical groups. He is an alumni of ViP and was a member in 2013, and ’15-’17. He also played snare in Troopers 2016 and Santa Clara Vanguard 2017, winning the Fred Sanford award for best percussion in 2017. After aging out, he continued performing with various bands in the Denton and Dallas music scenes. He currently plays in Denton-based rock bands Bad Dad Jokes (drums) and Have Near (guitar/vocals). He records and produces various DFW artists under the name Farr Out Sounds and has most recently worked with Itiswhatitis, Heavy Daze, and King Turtle. In his spare time he likes to read, mountain bike, and discover new music of all types.