Kickstarter

FAQ

• What is the Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line?

  The Royal Thunder Drum Line is the exclusive performing ensemble for the Kansas City Royals. This group, comprised of performers from Missouri Southern State University has had the pleasure of performing for many live audiences as well as televised broadcasts.

  The group, while still in it’s infancy, has become a main attraction throughout Kauffman stadium and beyond. This year, the Royal Thunder Drum Line will be the featured entertainment for MLB’s All-Star Week festivities held in Kansas City.

  Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kansas-City-Royal-Thunder-Drum-Line/171430932932476

  Last updated: Wednesday Feb 22, 1:14am EST
• What is the Stanković Percussion Ensemble?

  The Stanković Percussion Ensemble (SPE) consists of professors and student percussionists attending a prestigious Belgrade music school,"Stanković". The founders, arrangers and instructors of the ensemble are two professors well known to the Serbian music scene; professor Siniša Jović and professor Ivan Marjanović. The ensemble was founded in 2007 and created most of their music by emulating American and Swiss drum lines. So far, SPE has had several notable live performances in Belgrade, as well as television performances. The ensemble's repertoire is consisted of specially arranged cadences including choreographies, making it the only ensemble of this type in Southern Europe. Partnering with the Jeunesses Musicales Belgrade, SPE has performed on almost all significant stages in the capital; Kolarac University, The Belgrade Arena, Sava Center, Dom Omladine, Dom Sindikata and many others. SPE annually performs for cultural manifestations such as: Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF), The Night of Museums, The Open Heart Street and The Joy of Europe. The ensemble also performs for elementary and high schools across Serbia, demonstrating the music and choreography of their drum line in order to promote and educate percussion among young people.

  Stanković Percussion Ensemble Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stankovic-Percussion-Ensemble/16084891748

  Last updated: Wednesday Feb 22, 1:14am EST
• What is the U.S. Drummer's Collective?

  The U.S. Drummer’s Collective, under the direction of Matt Brusca, is an organization that is dedicated to cultural exchange through the artistic medium of percussion.

  During July of 2011, the U.S. Drummer’s Collective was invited to perform in Belgrade, Serbia for EXIT Festival, BELEF, and with Belgrade’s own Stanković Percussion Ensemble. This cultural exchange saw the fruition of several days of clinics and master classes on marching percussion, multiple performances from the U.S. Drummer’s Collective at EXIT and BELEF, and a joint performance between Stanković Percussion Ensemble and the U.S. Drummer’s Collective. Both organizations gained an immense amount of percussion and cultural knowledge from each other and built relationships that bridged the cultural divide between two countries half the world apart.

  Last updated: Tuesday Feb 21, 7:41pm EST
• Who is Ivan Marjanović?

  Ivan Marjanović is Principal Timpanist with both the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and Camerata Serbica. He received his Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and now holds the position of Percussion Professor at "Stanković" Music School in Belgrade. He began his career as an orchestral percussionist with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra (BFO) at the age of fourteen. He has been a member of several orchestras including the Symphony Orchestra of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Theatre, Madlenianum Opera and Theatre Orchestra, Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, St. George Strings, and the Dušan Skovran Orchestra. By the age of seventeen, Ivan was recognized as laureate of the National Percussion Competition and was a member of L'Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée. A year later he joined the duo, Belgrade Percussionists. The ensemble continues to perform standards from the percussion duo repertoire, as well as numerous arrangements and transcriptions. As a member of these ensembles, he has performed on many stages throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. During his rich orchestral career, Ivan has worked with acknowledged conductors and soloists such as: Zubin Mehta, Krzysztof Penderecki, Julian Rachlin, Mischa Maisky, Mstislav Rostropovich, Martha Argerich, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti and Sting, to name a few. Ivan has performed as a soloist and chamber musician with the BFO and Belgrade Academy Orchestra. He has worked with some of the most prominent names in percussion including Evelyn Glennie, Nebojša Jovan Živković, Peter Sadlo, Jeff Queen, Momoko Kamiya and Ivana Bilić. During the past decade, Prof. Marjanović has been active as a drummer and drum line instructor for Stanković Percussion Ensemble (SPE), the first and only drum line in Southern Europe. He is also known as a session musician, recording mostly contemporary and film music.

  Last updated: Tuesday Feb 21, 7:43pm EST
• Who is Siniša Jović?

  Siniša Jović, Professor of Percussion at "Stanković" Music School and "Konjović" Music School, holds a Masters degree in Percussion from Faculty of Music in Belgrade (Belgrade Music Academy). Siniša began his percussion studies at the age of twelve. He began playing in professional orchestras during his early teenage years. His first involvement with orchestral percussion was playing drum set and percussion with Terazije Musical Theatre and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed with the National Theatre Orchestra, Serbian Military Symphony Orchestra, Madlenianum Opera and Theatre Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS Symphony Orchestra), to name a few. Siniša has remained active as a soloist, a drum set player and a studio musician. He has been seen performing throughout Europe and Asia. He has performed a broad spectrum of musical styles with various ensembles, placing emphasis on jazz, funk and latin music. He has been a member of a latin-salsa band, The Mambo Stars, since 2007. Siniša has been active as a percussion educator and adjudicator for the past thirteen years. He is also a percussion instructor and the founder of Stanković Percussion Ensemble (SPE), the first and only drum line in Southern Europe. His students have successfully continued their studies in the U.S. covering a wide range of percussion performance including show style, drum corpsstyle, drum set, mallets, and arranging and composition.

  Last updated: Tuesday Feb 21, 7:43pm EST
• Who is Brian Fronzaglia?

  Brian Fronzaglia, Professor of Percussion and Director of Athletic Bands at Missouri Southern State University holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Penn State where he was also awarded the Performer’s Recognition Award. He holds a Master’s degree in Percussion Performance from Michigan State University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance at the UMKC Conservatory of Music.

  Brian, performing on many stages has been seen throughout the United States and Europe. Most recently, Brian has been seen performing throughout Italy and has also been seen performing with the Sunflower Music Festival Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Symphony Chamber Orchestra, The American Opera Studio, Flint Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Altoona Symphony, Nittany Valley Symphony, Northland Symphony, St. Joseph Symphony, Pennsylvania Centre Chamber Orchestra, National Wind Ensemble and the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. Brian, a part-time member of the group Marimba Sol de Chiapas was also a member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.

  A founding member of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams “Battering Rams” drum line, Brian is currently the Director and Arranger for MLB’s Kansas City Royals “Royal Thunder Drum Line.”

  Along with being a clinician for the Yamaha Sounds of Summer camp, Brian has also served on the faculties at Penn State University, the Grumo Music Festival held in Grumo-Appula, Italy and the Flint Institute of Music. He is currently an active adjudicator throughout the Midwest and has been a consultant and arranger for several high schools across the nation. He has been on staff with WGI Independent World Finalist, United Percussion and also the DCI World Finalist, The Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps. Brian is currently a staff consultant for WGI Finalist, Gateway Indoor Percussion.

  Brian is a Yamaha Performing Artist/clinician and is also a performing artist/clinician for SABIAN Cymbals, Remo Drumheads and Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets. Brian has given numerous master classes, performances and clinics throughout the United States. As a performer Brian has been active in commissioning and premiering new works for percussion and has been recorded on numerous labels and his compositions are published through Knight Wind Publications, Yamaha Corporation of America and Row-Loff Productions.

  Last updated: Wednesday Feb 22, 1:14am EST
• Who is Matt Brusca?

  Matt Brusca is currently a graduate assistant for the Illinois State University Big Red Marching Machine. His responsibilities include instructing and arranging for the BRMM drum line. He is the director of the U.S. Drummer's Collective. He previously held a position as Professor of Percussion at Messenger College and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Missouri Southern State University.

  Matt is currently on staff with DCI Open Class Finalist the Colt Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and WGI Independent World Class Finalist Gateway Indoor. He is also the percussion instructor at University High School. He has been on staff with the Yamaha Sounds of Summer Camp in Joplin for four years. He has instructed the Joplin, Mt.Vernon, Webb City, Carl Junction, and University High School drum lines. He instructed and co-designed drill for the 2009 Joplin High School winter drum line and instructed the 2010 Webb City winter drum line which took 2nd and 3rd place at MCCGA Championships respectively. During the summer of 2011, he was invited to present clinics on marching percussion in Belgrade, Serbia.

  Matt’s performing experiences include marching five years with Missouri Southern State University’s Lion Pride Marching Band and as a WGI Independent World Class Finalist with Gateway Indoor in 2008 and 2009. He has performed with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Ozark Festival Orchestra, Peoria Municipal Band, Collide Praise Band, and Forest Park Baptist Church Praise Band. Matt has also performed for Exit Festival, BELEF, Marion Days Festival, the 2008 Kansas Day of Percussion, 2007 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, and is a current member of the Chicago Bulls Stampede Drum Line and the Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line.

  Last updated: Wednesday Feb 22, 1:07am EST
• What do we plan to do in Serbia?

  The U.S. Drummer’s Collective will have the Stanković Percussion Ensemble (SPE) as their host and partner in Belgrade, Serbia. Partnered with SPE, the featured cultural exchange artist, the Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line, will do a series of clinics and master classes. This will result in a number of performances from the ensembles, both separately and collectively. The Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line will help SPE in a variety of ways; not just by devoting time and instruction to their members, but by helping the ensemble acquire equipment necessary to accommodate their future performances.

  The Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line will give performances, clinics on drumming techniques, a drum battle between SPE and the Kansas City Royal Thunder Drum Line as well as a combined performance.

  Last updated: Wednesday Feb 22, 1:36am EST