Worley earns top spot with world class Blue Devils

From Staff Reports 
            
Zach Worley, a 2015 graduate of Queen City High School and former member of Queen City High School Band, auditioned and was contracted as a lead trumpet for the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps for the summer of 2017. 
While attending Queen City High School he excelled in music at All-Region, All-Area and was All-State for two years. 
He won numerous first place awards in UIL State Solo and Ensemble contests for both solos and one ensemble. 
He was invited to play with retired New York Philharmonic trumpeter Phil Smith at the Texas Tech University Caprock Trumpet Conference in Lubbock.
Last year Worley auditioned and was selected to compete with the DCI Cadets, which proved to be a very enlightening and enjoyable experience, he said.
The Blue Devils were founded in 1957 and toured for the first time in 1973. 
They have won the world title an unprecedented 17 times and in the 2014 World Championship Finals received a record score of 99.65 of a possible 100. 
The Blue Devils have presented unique opportunities to their fans and members by offering performances and clinics with artists such as Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Shew and Chuck Mangione.
This summer the Blue Devils will celebrate their 60th anniversary. In addition to that, they will travel more than 15,000 miles on tour and compete at the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium Aug.10-12. 
In auditioning for the Blue Devils, Worley auditioned in Dallas and made the cut to audition in Concord, Calif., Jan. 13-15. The brass judges saw 400 Blue Devils hopefuls for less than 40 spots. 
From those they narrowed it down to fewer than 60 who all attended that first camp in Concord to rehearse with the returning and accepted members, as well as compete for the final spots in the line. 
Throughout the six blocks of rehearsal that weekend, the Blue Devils’ brass and visual staff taught and evaluated each one. 
They were not only trying to find the best players but also people who wanted to be in the program on a daily basis and would fit into the culture. 
They worked with them for 20 hours of rehearsal. It was an incredible moment for Zach when he was chosen. 
Worley is a full-time Music Education Major student at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He is First Chair and Co-Principal Trumpet of the Wind Ensemble as well as First Chair in the top Jazz Ensemble. 
He is also in Brass Choir, Basketball Band and Trumpet Choir. 
Along with being a full-time college student he is teaching eight students private trumpet lessons at a nearby school.
Fees for Worley to be part of this group total $3,600 plus plane tickets for three trips to California for rehearsals before the season begins in May. 
This includes tour travel, housing, uniform/costume, and all necessary equipment.
An account has been set up at Cass County Bank for donations. Donations can also be made at “pay-pal.me/ZachWorley”.