FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps Join the Ludwig-Musser Family

Nashua, NH — December 12, 2025

The Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps is excited to announce a new partnership with Ludwig-Musser, beginning with the 2026 season—marking the Spartans’ first year competing in DCI’s World Class division.

This partnership follows a historic season for the organization. In November 2025, the Spartans proudly performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, showcasing their talent on one of the world’s most iconic stages and earning national recognition for both the corps and the city of Nashua.

“We are honored to join the Ludwig-Musser family,” said Paul LaFlamme, Executive Director of the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps. “As we enter our inaugural season in DCI World Class competition, the support and superior sound quality of Ludwig-Musser instruments will elevate our program and give our members the world-class performance experience they deserve.”

Through this new collaboration, the Spartans will perform exclusively on Ludwig battery percussion and Musser front ensemble instrumentation, bringing world-renowned craftsmanship and projection to their 2026 production. The partnership will also create opportunities for educational initiatives, artist engagement, and media collaborations.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Spartans into the Ludwig-Musser family,” said Moeen Hosain, Conn Selmer Drum Corps Manager. “Their nine DCI World Championships, decades of excellence, and recent national spotlight at the Macy’s Parade exemplify the passion and professionalism that align perfectly with the Ludwig-Musser legacy. We look forward to supporting them as they make their debut in Drum Corps International World Class competition.”

The Spartans will debut their new Ludwig-Musser arsenal during the 2026 DCI Summer Tour, performing across the United States as they enter a new era of competitive achievement.

For more information about the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps, visit www.spartansdbc.org.
Learn more about Ludwig-Musser at www.ludwig-musser.com.

It is our honor to announce the newest addition to the Albert LaFlamme Memorial Hall of Fame – Paul G. LaFlamme Sr.

Paul G. LaFlamme Sr. has been with the Spartans for all eight decades of the corps history and it is therefore fitting that his induction into the Hall of Fame coincides with our 70th Anniversary year.

Paul Sr. has been here since his father, Albert A. LaFlamme, started the Spartans in 1955.  Paul Sr. then marched with the Spartans in the 1960s and has kept his involvement with the corps in one way or another ever since.

Paul Sr. has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2009, serving as Vice Chairman and sitting on the Executive Committee.  As our Transportation Director of 16 years, he has gone above and beyond.  Together with Paul Jr (PG) he was instrumental in creating our current bus and fleet strategy which has allowed the Corps to do a full summer tour with all the necessary vehicles, including our own buses.  He still drives one of those buses for us to this day.

Paul Sr. remains a huge supporter of the Spartans and can be seen checking in at almost every camp, attending all major functions, and is always lending a hand whenever and wherever needed.

 Thank you for all you do Paul Sr., the Spartans are grateful to you!

Richie was a Spartan through and through. He will be missed by generations of Spartans and our tour will never be the same without hearing his favorite catch phrase, “Let’s Go Ladies!” as we load the truck.

A Military Memorial Service is being held at 10:00 AM on Friday April 18th in Boscawen, NH. A post service celebration of Life will be held at Nashua Bingo (166 DW Highway Nashua NH) on Friday the 18th at 11:00 AM following the service.

Link to Obituary:  Richard R Stover, Sr Obituary April 8, 2025 – Cremation Society of New Hampshire

We understand that some participants may not wish to travel in a potential winter storm and we encourage participants to make the best decision for them, understanding the winter in New England can be unpredictable.

If the weather changes your plans for camp attendance, please email your caption head and info@spartansdbc.org ASAP

We are excited to share our plans with you as we look towards the future. While Spartans Indoor Percussion will be taking a brief hiatus and not fielding an ensemble for the 2025 season, we are already laying the groundwork for a strong return in 2026!

Over the past three years, we have faced the significant challenge of securing suitable rehearsal venues. The availability of several key rehearsal spaces has recently been reduced or eliminated, which has made this process even more difficult. However, we are actively seeking new and improved facilities to ensure our members have the best experience possible. “Along with our work to secure improved facilities, this one-year hiatus from competition will allow us to continue to focus on strengthening our organizational, administrative and financial structure and return ready to serve our members and provide the best experience possible in 2026 and beyond.

We deeply appreciate your unwavering support for the Spartans. We are thrilled to announce that Spartans Indoor Percussion will be hosting a NESBA competition during the 2025 season, and we can’t wait to see you there! More details will be shared once the NESBA schedule for the winter season is finalized.

Stay tuned to our social media accounts for further updates as we work to return stronger than ever for many years to come.

World Champion Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps has been selected to march in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®! The Spartans was selected from more than 100 applicants to march in the 2025 Parade.

What an amazing way to celebrate the Spartans’ 70th anniversary!

More info will be coming soon as we ramp up fundraising efforts to take current and alumni members to NY for the march of a lifetime! Thank you, Macy’s, for selecting the Spartans to march next year, and for the $10,000 check to kick off our fundraising!

Burning Man festival sets the theme for Spartans’ “Youtopia”
by Jeff Griffith, Drum Corp International

For the summer of 2024, Spartans’ goal is to change the landscape of football fields across the United States.

When the Nashua, New Hampshire, corps makes its appearances on the 2024 DCI Summer Tour, it won’t be performing on grass — at least, not in the mind’s eye.

If all is executed according to plan, in the imaginations of performers, audience members and designers, Spartans’ 2024 production will be taking place in the desert.

And not just any desert location — the 2024 Spartans are headed to Burning Man. The week-long outdoor celebration of art, music, and self-expression serves as the central inspiration for Spartans’ 2024 production, “Youtopia.”

“It’s about bringing people together and building a festival,” visual designer Gilles Ouellette said. “Based on our music and our art, it’s that simple.”

As part of the Burning Man festival, held annually in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, participants build a temporary city in the desert expanse, and take part in various artistic events and activities. The festival features unique art installations and musical experiences, before ending with the burning of a symbolic sculpture, referred to as, “The Man.”

According to program and staff coordinator Fred Ford, Spartans plan to emphasize three key principles of the Burning Man festival — self-reliance, self-expression and self-inclusion. Further, he noted, the show concept offers a subtle, underlying connection for Spartans members.

“It’s kind of what a drum corps does,” Ford said. “You come to a town, you set up and unpack at a housing site, you rehearse, you go to the show, you perform, you pack it up, and you leave, and you go to the next town. That’s kind of a microcosm of Burning Man.”

As Ouellette added, the corps’ production will follow a similar arc.

“The idea of the Burning Man festival is that you leave no trace behind,” he said. “That’s a little bit of what we’re trying to do as well; by the time we get to the end of the show, we’re hoping that we’re back to the desert in its pure form.”

In order to embody the essence of Burning Man-oriented art work, Spartans turned to artificial intelligence.

Designers utilized A.I. imaging to create inspiration for what their set pieces might look like. Designers input their own original descriptions of potential art-installation props, A.I. software generated images to match these descriptions, and the A.I. images served as a basis for prop building.

“We use it as a tool,” Ford said. “We give it the information that we want. ‘Create something for me that will achieve the following parameters.’ And then from there, whatever it creates, our team modifies it and makes it into something unique for us.”

Musically, Spartans will open with Holly Herndon’s “Frontier,” in order to set the stage for a desert atmosphere.

From there the corps will utilize Todd Terje’s “Alfonso Muskadunder,” Wynton Marsalis’ “Sweet Release: Church: Renewing Vows,” and Billie Elish’s “What Was I Made For?” within their show’s repertoire. Each of these three songs is intended to embody specific art installations being built throughout the corps’ production.

As Ouellette noted, the music will volley from style to style, all while aiming to capture the energy of Burning Man.

“People arrive to the desert, and we start to create our art installations,” he said. “We produce our own art, but we also produce our own music to go with that. So, there’ll be a lot of variety in the program, to pick up on the individuality of these artists.”

Finally, the show will close with a conclusive celebration, similarly to Burning Man. This last chapter will be set to original music by corps composers.

“At Burning Man, there’s a big festival at the end, it happens at night, and they burn everything down,” Ouellette said. “So, we are not going to burn anything, but we are going to have a festival at the end where the collective will get together and celebrate.”

Spartans 2023 Open Class World Champions
Spartans captured the DCI Open Class World Championship title in 2023.

With a World Championship title under the belts from 2023, Spartans mentioned multiple points of optimism, including, most prominent, a noticeable amount of staff continuity for 2024.

“The organization as a whole is moving in a very positive direction,” Ouellette said. “A really high percentage of the people who are involved at all levels have marched with the corps. That creates a really great environment and chemistry. There’s a very positive vibe happening because of that.”

Ford also made a point to express gratitude for the administration of Southwind; the corps based out of Mobile, Alabama, ceased operations during the 2023-24 drum corps offseason, but donated an array of equipment and resources to Spartans in the months that followed its announcement.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Southwind organization for their donations of an equipment truck, a food truck, about 100 brass instruments, and some sound equipment,” Ford said. “And then we created a legacy project, where I think we have about nine or 10 former Southwind students marching at a discounted rate.”

Spartans will debut “Youtopia” on June 29 in Shelton, Connecticut.

We are excited to announce our 2024 program YOUTOPIA.

Join us on a journey through the eye of Burning Man.

MUSICAL SELECTIONS

FRONTIER
Holly Herndon

ALFONSO MUSKEDUNDER
Todd Terje

AIR WALTZ
Oliver Davis

SWEET RELEASE: CHURCH: RENEWING VOWS
Wynton Marsalis

WHAT WAS I MADE FOR?
billie eilish

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Aaron Goldberg, Mark Sachetta, Bryson Teel, Brian Spencer

In addition to Drum Corps, Brian has an extensive background in Winter Color Guard. For the
past 20 years he has been a Design Analysis and General Effect judge for WGI. Prior to his
judging with WGI, Brian was the lead designer for St. Ann’s Color Guard from Neponset, MA.
from 1991 to 2016. Under Brian’s leadership St. Ann’s was a perennial contender in the World,
Open, A, and Regional classes at both the local and WGI levels.
Outside of the pageantry activities, Brian lives in Boston MA. He holds a BSBA and an MBA from
Suffolk University and works as a Business Transformation/IT specialist for the IBM Corporation.

Please join us in welcoming Brian to the Spartans Team!