January 2024

2023 was a very busy year with a full array of activities from all of our programs.

The Mandarins Music Academy is now teaching elementary school band in over 44 schools with more than 1300 students – including the Jessie Baker School for special needs students. Giving the “Gift of Music” has been an extremely rewarding endeavor with plans for even more growth in 2024. The MMA is led by director Ryan Lee.

The Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps rose to an unprecedented sixth-place finish at the 2023 DCI World Championships in Indianapolis. Kudos to director JW Koester for an outstanding season and for being awarded DCI Director of the Year! We have our highest return rate of members in recent history so watch for the Mandarins to kick it up a notch in 2024!

The 2024 DCI Capital Classic Drum Corps Show is set for Sunday, July 7 in Sacramento. Come out and see 10 drum corps and the Freelancer Alumni Corps in Sacramento’s best music event! Tickets will be on sale soon at www.mandarins.org.

Mandarins Bingo continues to provide a fantastic activity for local players and supporters at the Mandarins Event Center. Bingo director Cindy Froom leads a dedicated team of staff three nights a week to provide for our programs. The Aftershock Cloggers, the Rancho Cordova River City Community Concert Band, and the Symphony D’Oro continue to rehearse in the 3000 sq. ft. band room. There are still some nights and weekends available for usage of the MEC for music groups, dance studios, and churches. Rental information is available here.

Mandarins Pathways continues to provide music instruction in the California Youth Detention Center, allowing incarcerated youth to explore music in a positive and encouraging format. Many thanks to director Chris Cyr for heading up that important program.

Mandarins Entertainment continues to get more gigs as we move away from the COVID shutdown. We just completed fifteen Christmas performances at Bayside Church in Granite Bay. Many other gigs are lining up for ME under the new directorship of Demetrius Riley and Tyler Allin.

Our Kickstarter Year of the Dragon Campaign was a big hit and will continue to accept donations that will be matched until January 31, 2024. Your donation will help support our many programs as we gear up for 2024 – the Year of the Dragon.

Happy New Year!
Daniel Fong
President & CEO, Mandarins of Sacramento, Inc.