SABIAN is proud to announce that RHYTHM X of Columbus, Ohio, under the direction of Craig Dunn, Andrew Markworth and Diaz Clark won GOLD in the Independent World Finals at WGI 2009. CONGRATULATIONS!!! The gold-medal performance entitled "Touch" received two standing ovations during the Saturday night finals.

Here are a few shots of their incredible performance...





This sums up the feeling within the ensemble...


Proud Rhythm X member...


Members of the Rhythm X cymbal line, with SABIAN's Katie Robinson and Ann MacNally, Diaz Clark of Rhythm X, and Greg Zeller of SABIAN.





SABIAN would like to congratulate all teams involved in the 2009 Winter Guard International Sport of the Arts World Championships! As shown throughout the championship week, your hard work has certainly paid off.

I would like to personally thank the SABIAN team - Ann MacNally, Greg Zeller and Stacey Montgomery-Clark who! I met hundreds of wonderful people that made my first official SABIAN event very memorable - thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to say hello and ask questions.

A final wrap-up article will appear on www.sabian.com this week - stay tuned for more pictures from the event.



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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

It's the last day of Finals competition at WGI, and SABIAN is pleased to announce that Father Ryan High School has won SILVER in the Independent Open Class. CONGRATULATIONS!!


Father Ryan High School


Tyler Junior College placed ninth in the Independent Open Class, under the direction of Tom McGowan. The ensemble, which has been in competition for only three years had an awesome performance. Great job guys!




Tyler Junior College


The SABIAN booth was buzzing when Dennis Delucia, Matt Savage and Amy Savage stopped by for an autograph signing.




Dennis Delucia (Educator/Drum Corps), Amy Savage (Percussion Specialist) and Matt Savage (Drum Corps Specialist)

Stay tuned for the Scholastic and Independent World Finals results tomorrow morning. Good luck to all SABIAN groups currently taking part in last minute practice, and to those who are on stage right now:

Plymouth Canton HS
Centerville HS
Ayala HS
Center Grove HS
Odyssey Percussion
Surround Sound
Timber Creek Independent
Gateway Percussion
North Coast Academy
Redline
Pulse Percussion
Rhythm X


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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

The SABIAN team just returned from the University of Dayton Arena and we are proud to announce that Ayala High School from Chino Hills, California has won GOLD in Percussion Scholastic Concert World, under the direction of Ike Jackson.


Ayala members congratulating each other and calling loved ones.



SABIAN's VP of Marketing, Stacey Montgomery-Clark with some of the winners from Ayala HS


If that's not enough, we are also very excited to announce that Franklin Central High School has won BRONZE in the Percussion Scholastic A Finals, under the direction of Dan Fyfe.


Here is Franklin Central, along with Dan Fyfe, Stacey Montgomery-Clark (SABIAN) and Greg Zeller (SABIAN) on the far right.



The chaos of all the winners.

The Percussion Independent and Scholastic World Finals are tomorrow... stay tuned!

Also, stop by our booth tomorrow (Saturday) at 12:30pm for an autograph signing - come meet Dennis Delucis, Matt Savage, Ralph Hardimon and more!!

Stay tuned for more coverage on today's events later in the week.

-Katie and Team SABIAN at WGI

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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

The world percussion championship was in full swing today. I arrived at the University of Dayton Arena bright and early to learn the lay out of the area. The booth opened at noon, and the coveted SABIAN cinch bags were gone by 12:38pm! We had lots of visitors throughout the day - thanks for stopping by!




Members of Plainfield High School having fun at the booth

We checked out several performances throughout the day - great job to all those involved!

Franklin Central High School put on a great performance entitled "Timber Tamber"



In the late afternoon I headed over to the Nutter Center to meet up with the Twin Cities Area Independent Percussion Ensemble (TCAI). I was fortunate to be able to watch their outdoor practice session.



They played later in the evening in the Percussion Independent A Preliminaries...



Legend Independent performed in the same category...




Congratulations to all those who have moved on to the next round of competition in their category.

The A Class Finale is tomorrow night, so watch for updates on Saturday morning!

Also, come by the booth early tomorrow (opens at 11am) for more surprises - don't miss out!

Keep on rockin'

-Katie, Ann & Greg

FYI - expect a new face at the booth tomorrow - Stacey Montgomery-Clark (VP Marketing) will be joining the team for the remainder of the week!



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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

When you set up a typical tradeshow booth, there is one essential tool that everyone uses - a box cutter. Well, that's not how we do it at SABIAN (or maybe just Ann and Katie). We are strong, independent women (who forgot a box cutter). Well, that didn't stop us or slow us down! We persevered and opened every box without the need for any sharp objects. We left the tent with dirt under our fingernails, feeling victorious. We did it! Oh, and Greg was a great help as well Although he arrived late (sure, we'll blame it on the delayed flights, lol) the booth could not have come together without his help!

Okay, I know what you are thinking, "Enough about the boxes and the booth! Get to the competition already!" Here you go ...

Thousands of participants have been practicing for months for their chance to become percussion world champions. The competition starts tomorrow at 9am at the University of Dayton Arena. If you are in the area, be sure to check out the amazing performances and drop by our booth to say hello to Ann and Greg (to compliment us on our box cutter free booth), try out cymbals, and pick up some free swag (new items each day!).

Good luck to all performers!!

I'll be in the parking lot taking pictures, and interviewing SABIAN endorsed ensembles.

See you all in a few hours.

-Katie and the SABIAN WGI team







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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

Hi folks!

Two of the three SABIAN team members have arrived in Dayton, Ohio! We had a rainy stop in Detroit, and Greg had weather delays, so he will be getting in tomorrow... just in time for booth set-up!

Wednesday will be a busy day of getting our bearings, setting up, and meeting lots of great people - hope to see you all there!

Stay tuned ... I'll be posting pictures of our booth tomorrow.


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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

We are packing up and leaving for Dayton, OH tomorrow afternoon. Booth set-up is on Wednesday and the competition begins Thursday. Just checked the weather forecast and it looks like the sun is going to come out mid-week - just in time for WGI!

Next stop ... Dayton!

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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

Hi everyone!

My name is Katie and I am SABIAN's eMarketing Coordinator. I've worked at SABIAN on and off since 2007 (as a student, and now full-time).

This is will be my first trip to WGI - and I'm pumped! I'll be doing interviews, taking pictures and footage of the practices. I can't wait to me you all and watch your performances!

-Katie


*this post recently moved (that's why the date change)

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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

Only one week left...

While the ensembles are getting in their final week of practice, the SABIAN team is prepping for their trip to Dayton. Myself, Ann MacNally (International Promotions Supervisor) and Greg Zeller (Sabian Regional Manager, Eastern Region) will be in attendance at this year's show.

This is my first WGI show, so I'm doing a lot of research in preparation for our hectic schedule next week.

Back to it!

-Katie

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Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.