Allegiance Elite

Allegiance Elite drum and bugle corps was established as a music and dance education program for youth ages 12 to 21, regardless of previous experience. Based in Calgary, the organization offered a Division II/III DCI corps.

In the fall of 1989, the Board and staff of the Calgary Cavaliers started discussions about changing the name of the organization. The name chosen was "Alberta Elite". However, before the paperwork could be completed to make the official name change, the Cavaliers Board was approached by the Allegiance Executive Director regarding the possibility of the two organizations merging to form one group.

After several meetings with parents and the Board of Directors, the Cavaliers agreed that for the good of the members the merger should go ahead. The name of the new organization would be "Allegiance Elite".

Allegiance Elite was guided by three main goals:

1)     To help the member understand and portray the development of discipline, responsibility, and leadership as each pertains to the individual;

2)     To develop within the member a greater awareness of the group, including the need for teamwork, self-control and cooperation;

3)     To have the member consider the need, use and appropriateness of competition within society. In doing so the member will learn to deal with both successes and failure from a positive viewpoint.

Every summer after the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, Allegiance embarked on a month-long competitive tour of Canada and the U.S. as the Western Canadian representative to the DCI Summer Music Games.

In their inaugural season of competition, the Elite placed 9^th at the DCI “Class A” championships followed by a 12^th place finish in 1991. They were also winners of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede ASTCO Cup that year. In 1992, the corps finished 8^th in the DCI ‘Division II” championships and were crowned the 1993 Canadian National “Division II” champions and repeated as the Calgary ASTCO Cup winners. They finished in 11^th place at the DCI championships.

From 1994 to 1996, the corps continued its strong showings in the DCI “Division II” class with 10^th, 8^th and 13^th place finishes. Allegiance Elite was proud of its numerous awards. Perhaps the most cherished was the 1997 Spirit of Disney trophy won at the DCI championships, presented each year to the top corps in each of the three divisions for excellence in entertainment and music education.

They went on to an 8^th place finish and won the 1997 “Division II” Canadian Nationals as well as the Calgary Stampede ASTCO Cup for a third year. The next three seasons saw the corps continue their march to the DCI “Division II” championships, placing 10^th, 8^th and 10^th respectively. In the winter of 2000, the corps expanded its winter program and traveled to Las Vegas to compete in Winter Guard International southwest regional. The drum line placed first in the independent open class, and the color guard was a strong contender, achieving a finalist spot in its first competitive effort.

In 2001, the corps’ competitive season culminated with a 12^th place finish at the DCI “Division II” preliminaries and that winter, the group visited California. In 2002, they went on to finish 11^th in DCI “Division II” competition before reorganizing as a “Division III” corps in 2003. This led to the corps’ first DCI semifinals appearance with a 6^th place finish.  In 2004, Allegiance Elite merged with the Strutters of Edmonton to form Fusion. The merger lasted one season as Allegiance Elite reorganized and returned to field competition in 2005. That year, they qualified for the DCI “Division III” finals, the first time in their history to reach a finalist spot at the national championships.

Over the next four years, the corps went inactive and on October 16th, 2010, Allegiance Elite hosted an "Open House" for all new or old drum corps and marching band fans to preview Allegiance Elite's spectacular new facility. A "Kick-Off" Celebration designed to showcase Allegiance Elite's upcoming 25th Anniversary and the introduction of Allegiance Elite's all-new AIM "Allegiance Institute of Music" program.

Allegiance Elite's new home boasts over 7,500 square feet of space dedicated to making a great music experience for everyone from age 12 to adults. They reorganized as an all-aged brass and percussion ensemble with membership ranging in age from 16 to 60, providing a place to play for anyone who enjoyed the exhilaration that comes from performing with a marching band or drum and bugle corps.

The Allegiance Elite Drumline, composed of alumni, performed their 2010 show entitled "An Anthology of Rudimental Drumming." on May 30, 2010, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. However, Allegiance Elite's all-age group disbanded after a short period of operation.

In May of 2011, Allegiance Elite, or Allegiance Institute of Music, launched an exciting new program designed to provide a concept of musical excellence for adults. By September of 2011, Allegiance Elite or Allegiance Institute of Music launched music lessons for students aged 12 to 18 to "learn how to" play. Learn how to "perform." 3 times faster than standard methods, guaranteed! Beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes for brass, woodwinds, and percussion. In early 2015, operations of the Allegiance Institute of Music slowly shut down.

During the years 2015 to 2019, Allegiance Elite was mostly run through a high school during those years. In September of 2019, plans for reforming and rebuilding the corps were made. These plans included purchasing new instruments and designing new uniforms. Allegiance Elite was expected to be back and running by 2020. Unfortunately, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic halted all operations for Allegiance Elite, causing Allegiance Elite to dissolve in late 2020.

Over the years our “Concept of Excellence” had provided over 2,500 participants with the opportunity to receive some of the finest professional music instruction available from all over North America. As a result, several of our members had gone on to teach and instruct all over the world. In fact, a substantial number of our Alumni went on to teach at EVERY marching band program in the City of Calgary and surrounding area. This was to be their legacy.

Members (16)