Columbus, OH · DRUMCORPS.NET PROFILE
Columbus, Ohio · DCI All-Age · Founded as a drumline in 2003 ·
The Columbus Saints combine competitive outdoor drum corps with a community-centered mission and HBCU musical roots. The outdoor ensemble’s weekend-focused approach welcomes performers continuing beyond junior-corps age limits as well as developing musicians. Its organization also runs indoor percussion, a separate program with a different calendar and competitive record. Outdoor program.
From a neighborhood drumline to a field corps
Marshall Cheatham founded Saints Drumline in 2003, drawing on his experience with Chicago’s St. Andrews Hornets. The organization says it began with six young people and a picnic table. An Angels drill team was added in 2008. The modern field-corps transition included DrumLine Battle in 2013, a hybrid HBCU-and-brass approach in 2014 and full drum-and-bugle-corps activity in 2015. SoundSport, SDCA and MACBDA supplied different stages for development. A 2017 DCI Open Class application was unsuccessful; the Saints subsequently pursued DCA competition. Their archive lists seventh in DCA Class A in 2018 and a first finals appearance, fourth in Class A, with Heart of Steam in 2019. Later productions included Mixtape in 2022, Homecoming in 2023 and Lennox Avenue: Midnight in 2024. Official historical timeline.
2026 production and educational team
The 2026 announcement names Is It Recording?, a production about preserving meaningful moments on video. The official news archive supplies the dated announcement rather than a guess based on a rehearsal clip. Official news.
College pathways
Indoor percussion is a separate choice
Research notes
Sources
- Organization history
- Outdoor program and college pathway
- 2026 dues
- Membership FAQ
- Registration
- Official news and contact
- Indoor program
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