With some recent changes and hires, Pacific Crest is excited to announce its front ensemble staff for 2015!
INSTRUCTION
Dalia Berman will lead the front ensemble in 2015, bringing top-level drum corps performing experience to that position.
Dalia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from CSU Northridge, and is in the process of earning a Master’s Degree at California Institute of the Arts. She is an active private teacher in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys focusing on both classical pedagogy and marching percussion and has taught at Pacific Crest since 2014.
Dalia has put together a team of young, yet accomplished, professionals. Chyann Figueroa and Lauren Hutson are Southern California based percussion instructors. They have performed with RCC, Pacific Crest, and the Blue Devils, and teach some of the most noted high school percussion programs in the region.
The team’s goal is modernize the approach at Pacific Crest. Dalia looks forward to using this larger goal to achieve a higher level of excellence, stating, “I’m very excited to work with this great staff, and to lead our talented members to a new level in 2015.”
DESIGN
Michael Huestis continues as the percussion composer/arranger for the 2014 season. He is a rarity in the drum corps genre in that he creates the full percussion score, including battery and front ensemble. While working under the direction of Music Director John Meehan, Michael will work closely with Dalia and Pacific Crest’s Percussion Caption Head, Pete Lucero, to ensure effective coordination of all percussion elements.
New to the team is Brian Dinkel, Pacific Crest’s 2015 Electronics Designer. Brian brings a wealth of top-level experience, including his current role as front ensemble instructor at the Blue Devils. He will design the electronics soundscape for the 2015 production and provide guidance in the set-up and management of the front ensemble amplification.
“The Pacific Crest front ensemble staff keeps getting stronger with every addition to the team,” according to Pete Lucero. “I feel lucky to be working alongside such great teachers, and I’m looking forward to all of them bringing their experiences to the table to help give our members the best drum corps experience possible.”
