Seattle, WA · DRUMCORPS.NET PROFILE
Seattle Cascades at a glance
Cascade Cadets and the Pacific Northwest lineage
The official season archive credits Rod Stubbs and Jack Avery with starting Cascade Cadets in June 1966. The early history was interwoven with Seattle Thunderbirds, with performances in the Northwest and Canada. The later Cascades name and its changing competitive divisions belong within that regional lineage. The official history is a useful starting point for sorting similarly named Northwest organizations and predecessor ensembles. Season archive; Official history.
The rapid rise of 2000–2002
The corps won the 2000 Division III championship, then placed second in Division II in 2001. Its 2002 City Riffs production brought Leonard Bernstein’s music to the field and earned the last championship finals position. DCI’s retrospective explains how the corps outscored several previous finalists to secure that place. Myron Rosander’s drill and the playable musical design helped make the program work as an integrated whole. DCI 2002 retrospective.
DCI identifies Cascades as the first Pacific Northwest corps to reach World Class finals, using today’s terminology for what was then Division I. The distinction matters: the two earlier divisional successes and the 2002 finalist achievement refer to different competitive levels. Official DCI corps profile.
Sources and further reading
- Official organization
- History
- Season archive
- DCI 2002 retrospective
- DCI corps profile
- Video auditions
- Leadership
- Staff
- Policy downloads
- Volunteering