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'Spirit of America' Marches to Success


By Christopher Carpenter
Staff Reporter



This is a photo of a performance by “Spirit of America (SOA),” an American marching band. SOA won the first place at the World Association of Marching Show Bands Championship, held in Cheju Island last week. /Courtesy of Spirit of America
Spirit of America (SOA), a marching band from Orleans, Massachusetts, marched its way to a world championship last week on Cheju Island.
Competing against 23 bands from 10 countries at the World Association of Marching Show Bands Championship, Spirit of America topped its nearest rival, Seika from Fukuoka-ken, Japan, by just .22 of a point.

The Yum Kwang band from Seoul came in fourth place 1.07 points behind Spirit of America.

``It’s hard to comprehend,’’ SOA trumpet player Josh Kanaga wrote on the band’s Web site on August 16, a day after winning the championship. ``For most of us I don’t think the reality of it has really sunk in yet.’’

Spirit of America left the United States with 122 band members and 33 support staff on Aug. 2 to compete on Cheju and also to perform a new musical form, a ``wind opera,’’ called ``Quest for Honor.’’ The wind opera is a three-act instrumental opera combining musical instruments, dance, colorful costumes and extravagant sets.

When SOA travels, the director looks for ways to reach out to the communities where the band performs. Usually this takes the form of workshops at local schools, but since Korean schools are on holiday this time of year, so the director came up with the idea of a wind opera.

``Our director was thinking about how to connect with the Korean people,’’ SOA communications director Karen Cragg said in a phone interview with the Korea Times.

The two-and-a-half-hour wind opera tells the story of two children who set out on a journey to save their village from drought. They struggle with betrayal, falsehood, hate and selfishness and in the process discover loyalty, truth, love and sacrifice. These qualities give them the key to end the suffering in their village.

Musicians portray all the characters, blending music, dance, choreography, costumes, sets and lighting.

After three sold-out performances, one in Daegu and two in Seoul, Cragg said the opera was a success.

``It became something new that hasn’t been done and we feel like it’s working,’’ she said.

Spirit of America began in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1978. The band won the Spirit of America award after marching in a Fourth of July parade in Washington DC that year and kept the name. July 4 is America’s Independence Day. The all-volunteer band has members ranging in age from nine to 64.

Several sponsors helped with the trip to Korea, including Fedex, Korean Airlines, Hanjin Transportation Co. Ltd., New Songdo City, LLC, King, VicFirth and Remo.

Cragg said part of the purpose of the band’s trips is to expose members to other cultures. This is the band’s first trip to Asia. They have previously traveled in Canada and Australia, as well as around the United States.

``They become better citizens for it,’’ Cragg said.