Sunrisers

Corps Snapshot

Cost planning: Sunrisers publishes 2027 marching-member tuition of $1,950. Tuition includes equipment, instruction, uniform, some transportation, and housing and rehearsal facilities. The corps says it offers fundraisers, sponsorships, and scholarships that can cover up to the full tuition amount; most meals on rehearsal weekends and while traveling are provided. The 2026 Membership Day page listed a separate $25 prepaid or $35 door fee; no 2027 audition or open-house fee was confirmed. Confirm the current calendar, payment dates, other out-of-pocket costs, and refund terms with the corps. In 2026, DCI used one unified All-Age class: Sunrisers placed 13th of 14 in prelims with 73.825 and did not advance to the 12-corps Finals. Official dues and membership details · Official DCI results.

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Sunrisers at a glance

Sunrisers is a community-based all-age drum and bugle corps from Kings Park on Long Island, New York. The current program accepts performers of all ages and skill levels, including woodwind players who want to learn a brass instrument. The organization operates as a program of Metropolitan Arts & Education Group Inc. Its current weekend-focused schedule links regional rehearsals and events with summer travel and DCI competition.

Sunrisers Videos

Drum Corps International’s feature looks at the corps’ return-to-field momentum and the ideas behind its 2025 production, Move. For the 2026 production and season details, visit the corps’ official site.

Contact Sunrisers

Use the official contact form or phone line for membership, auditions, performances, volunteering, and general questions. The postal address is a mailing address; confirm rehearsal locations and visit details before traveling.

General inquiries

(917) 528-9340 · Official contact form · Membership and audition information

Mailing address

P.O. Box 154, Kings Park, NY 11754 · Address published by the corps

Sunrisers is a program of Metropolitan Arts & Education Group Inc. No public general email address was listed on the contact page reviewed; use its form or phone line.

Sunrisers on Social Media

Social links from the supplied directory. Labels show where each link was published. Public-profile and source-reference links were not independently confirmed through a corps website; shared organization channels and older accounts are noted.

From around the web

From Marine Memorial to Sunrisers

The organization’s official history traces its start to 1950 as the Marine Memorial Drum and Bugle Corps of Nassau County. It was reorganized as a senior corps in 1953. The Sunrisers name came from John Hodge’s idea after hearing Les Paul and Mary Ford perform “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise.” The corps performed parades, exhibitions, and standstill contests before entering field competition and joining Drum Corps Associates (DCA) in 1966. Its separate membership FAQ uses 1954 as the founding year, so this archive distinguishes the group’s start, reorganization, and naming dates rather than treating them as one settled date. Official history · Membership history summary.

Championship eras and interruptions

Sunrisers won the American Legion National Championship in 1968, then claimed its first DCA championship in 1977 by 0.05 points over the Hawthorne Caballeros. It repeated as champion in 1978 and won again in 1982 and 1983. In 1987, rain and unsafe field conditions canceled DCA Finals; the title was decided from prelims, where Sunrisers had led. In 1988, it shared the DCA championship with the Bushwackers, the circuit’s first tie. The official organization describes seven DCA championships in total, including its 2007 Class A title. The organization moved from Long Island to New Jersey in 1985, later returned to Long Island in 2008, and has experienced inactive periods and restarts. These pauses are part of its history, not seasons to assume continuous field competition. Official championship timeline.

Return to the field and the DCI All-Age era

After a rebuilding and reorganization period in 2022–23, Sunrisers returned to DCI competition in 2024, finishing second in the All-Age division at the championship. In 2025, the corps placed fourth in the All-Age Open Class championship with 83.325 and ninth overall in the DCI All-Age World Championship Finals with 83.475. The activity changed format in 2026: all-age corps competed in one unified class, with preliminaries determining the twelve finalists. Sunrisers’ 73.825 placed 13th of 14 at prelims. The year’s placement should be read in this revised field and format, rather than compared directly with older DCA or DCI class rankings. 2025 All-Age class results · 2025 Finals results · 2026 prelim results.

Productions: familiar stories, new movement

The official past-season index lists recent programs including Come Fly With Me (2015), House of Cards (2016), Mirage (2017), Outside In (2018), Into the Deep Blue (2019), and Portraits by Gershwin (2021). The return to the field brought Move in 2025, a production built around movement through music and visual design. The 2026 concept, Outlaw, took a modern approach to the western desperado character, drawing on recognizable music while avoiding familiar western soundtrack cues. Official past-season index · DCI feature on “Move” · DCI feature on “Outlaw”.

Sunrisers online channels

The organization’s public website provides the clearest verified route for current news and membership information. I could not confirm social profile URLs directly linked from its current public pages; the links below distinguish official corps material from the governing-body source.

This profile does not label unaffiliated accounts as official. Check the corps’ site or contact its administrators for verified social links.

Sunrisers’ timeline shows how community corps can move between civic performance, competition, interruption, and revival. Its official account dates the Marine Memorial organization to 1950 and the reorganization into a senior corps to 1953. The name came from a popular song that John Hodge heard on the radio; he suggested it to bugle instructor Ray Nicholas. The corps’ FAQ separately says the organization was founded in 1954, leaving a small discrepancy in how the starting year is presented. Naming and organizational milestones help explain why sources use more than one date. (official history; official membership FAQ.)

Championships shaped by close finishes

The first DCA title, in 1977, came by five-hundredths of a point over Hawthorne. The 1978 win followed another close preliminary contest, and the corps became the first DCA ensemble to receive a perfect score in Brass General Effect that year. Later victories in 1982 and 1983 established another championship era. The 1987 title was awarded from prelims after weather forced finals to be canceled, while the 1988 championship was shared with the Bushwackers. The corps history makes these circumstances explicit; they are useful context when reading championship counts across eras. (official championship record.)

Long Island, New Jersey, and back again

After moving to New Jersey in 1985, the organization later returned to Long Island in 2008. Inactive periods followed the 1993 season and again beginning in 2000; the corps continued in a standstill mini-corps format during one hiatus and returned to field competition in 1994. A later rebuilding effort preceded its 2024 return to DCI competition. These breaks matter: the modern program inherits a long tradition, but present membership, schedule, and competitive conditions belong to a renewed organization working in a different era. (official history; DCI on the return to the field.)

From “Move” to “Outlaw”

The 2025 production Move centered on motion and visual variety. DCI’s feature describes it as the corps’ second season after returning to the tour. In 2026, Outlaw used a modern western character and a musical approach intended to avoid familiar western show conventions. The two concepts show the design team looking for accessible narratives while making them feel distinct from well-known drum corps treatments. (DCI feature on “Move”; DCI feature on “Outlaw”.)

What membership asks of performers

The current membership page describes an all-age program open to performers with different levels of prior experience. It lists brass, percussion, color guard, and conducting, and says woodwind players can learn a brass instrument. A typical season begins with an Open House in November, monthly winter camps, then weekend rehearsals from spring through summer; a typical weekend can run from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. The page asks members to plan for scheduled corps functions from November through August and to communicate early about conflicts. This schedule can fit some work and school arrangements, but it is a substantial commitment that requires travel to rehearsals and reliable attendance. (official membership expectations.)

Published dues and practical trip costs

Sunrisers lists 2027 tuition at $1,950 per marching member. Its FAQ says tuition includes equipment, instruction, uniform, some transportation, and various housing and rehearsal facilities, and that most meals on rehearsal weekends and travel are provided. Fundraisers, sponsorships, and scholarships can offset costs, and the corps says members can fundraise the full tuition amount. A separate 2026 Membership Day page listed a $25 prepaid registration fee or $35 at the door; no 2027 event fee was verified. Ask for the fee calendar, any costs beyond tuition, how travel meals and housing are handled, and cancellation terms before committing. (2027 tuition and FAQ; 2026 Membership Day fee.)

DCI’s 2025 All-Age championship reports show Sunrisers placed fourth in the Open Class championship event and ninth overall at Finals. In 2026, DCI unified the All-Age division and used preliminaries to select twelve finalists. Sunrisers’ 73.825 placed thirteenth of fourteen, just outside that final group. These results are a useful recent record, while the corps’ older DCA championships remain a distinct part of its history. (2025 class event; 2025 overall Finals; 2026 unified prelims.)

Sources and further reading

1. Official organization and current season
2. Official history and championship notes
3. Mission and community description
4. Past seasons
5. Membership, schedule, tuition, and FAQ
6. 2026 Membership Day
7. Contact form and mailing address
8. 2025 DCI All-Age class scores
9. 2025 DCI All-Age Finals scores
10. 2026 DCI All-Age prelim scores
11. DCI feature on the 2025 production
12. DCI feature on the 2026 production

Current information

Membership, fees, rehearsal plans, staffing, and contact details can change. Use the linked Sunrisers pages for current participation decisions. Historical dates are reported as the official site presents them, including its difference between the 1950 origin story and the 1954 FAQ date.

THE VIDEO ARCHIVE

Watch Sunrisers

Explore 51 curated videos from this corps.