Phantom Regiment

The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, founded in 1956, is a Division I drum and bugle corps based out of Rockford, Illinois, and is a member corps of Drum Corps International. Often just "Phantom" or "The Regiment", the corps is a long-standing DCI member corps and a fan favorite. Originally founded as the Rockford Rangers, the corps name was changed after a group of staff members heard another corps perform a Leroy Anderson piece entitled "The Phantom Regiment". The corps existed for several years from 1956 to 1965, but a fire destroyed the corps hall as well as almost all corps property. Reformed with a new board of directors in 1967, the corps started back up and the history of the modern Phantom Regiment began.

Phantom Regiment has been the DCI Division I World Champion two times: 1996 (in a tie with the Blue Devils), and 2008. In addition, the corps has placed second five times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1989, and 2006) as well as placing third four times (1991, 1993, 1994 and 2005). Phantom Regiment's streak of 32 consecutive Drum Corps International championship finals appearances (a record shared with the Concord Blue Devils) is second only to Santa Clara Vanguard out of California.

Phantom Regiment has aggressivly brought challenging classical music to the field, including the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Antonín Dvořák. One commentator noted that the corps is "drum corps' classical music identity". In addition, Regiment shows have included the music of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian, and the New World Symphony.

Regiment performances throughout the years have been memorable. However, the 1996 Regiment performance of Shastakovich's fifth symphony is especially lauded. In 2005, Phantom Regiment took a step away from classic music repetoire and explored George Gershwin's symphonic Classical/Jazz work, Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris (although this is not the first time the corps has had success with this approach, as evidenced with "I Pagliacci," 1991, and "Goin' Home (Largo from New World)," 1989). The jazzy 2005 show won the Spirit of Disney Award and took third place at DCI Finals.

Celebrating 50 years as a corps, the 2006 show, "Faust," took the corps back to their true classical heritage and included such works as: Scythian Suite by Sergei Prokofiev, Ave Maria by Franz Biebl, Piano Concerto by John Corigliano, and Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") by Gustav Mahler. The 2006 Phantom Regiment took second place with a score of 96.850 at the Drum Corps International World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, Regiment's highest finish since 1996. The corps also received its first Fred E. Sanford High Percussion award that year, under percussion caption head Paul Rennick.

Phantom Regiment's 1989 show, based on Dvořák's New World Symphony, was voted the top show in the 2006 DCI Classic Countdown, a movie-theater showing of the most popular DCI shows in its second year.