The Battalion Names Tyler Hess as Corps Director

SALT LAKE CITY — January 29, 2024 — The Battalion Drum & Bugle Corps today announced the appointment of pageantry-arts stalwart Tyler Hess as its new corps director. Hess will report directly to Kenton Nielson, CEO of The Battalion.

“For more than 15 years, Tyler has been a pioneer, builder, and mainstay for the pageantry arts in the intermountain west,” said Nielson. “We couldn’t be more excited to have his experience, expertise, and passion for this important role. Even as the activity evolves, one thing will never change—the importance of creating incredible, life-changing experiences for young adults. In each stop during Tyler’s career, it has been evident that he is adept at creating learning and performance environments where members thrive and are accelerated to do the best work of their musical careers.”

A musician, educator, designer, and founder of multiple thriving organizations, Hess’s pageantry arts career has created new platforms for growth for students throughout the region. Most notably, Hess co-founded the region’s preeminent indoor percussion circuit—the Intermountain Percussion Association—where he has served as executive director for nearly 15 years. Hess also co-founded Weber State Indoor Percussion as well as perennial WGI semi-finalist Gold Spike Percussion, where he currently serves as ensemble director. Under his leadership, Gold Spike Percussion has won a WGI Regional Championship and four IMPA Championships.

“I’ve spent most of my adult life involved in the marching arts. I’ve seen The Battalion grow from an idea, to a reality, to a frontrunner in many areas of the activity that mean the most to me—most notably performer safety, performer experience, and community stewardship,” said Hess. “These aspects of the organization drew me to The Battalion early on and are a driving motivator in taking this role. I hope to help The Battalion continue to cement its identity as a safe and accepting place for young people to accomplish the remarkable, while continually pushing our performers and staff to strive for higher and higher levels of performance and achievement.”

Hess succeeds long-time corps director Katherine Steinacker, who will move into a board role while she pursues a graduate degree. During her 6-year tenure, Steinacker led the corps to incredible heights. She oversaw the consistent growth of the corps’ summer tours despite the headwinds of COVID—building a sustainable bridge for the corps to compete annually at DCI World Championships. During that journey, DCI named her a two-time Open Class Director of the Year, while her peers selected her as chair of the DCI Open Class Advisory Committee — serving as a resource for all corps in DCI's Open Class.

“We cannot thank Katherine enough for the impact that she has made in our organization and for the hundreds of lives that she impacted in a positive way over the last 6 years,” said Julia Coleman, board chair for The Battalion. “She successfully led the corps through the storm of the pandemic and has positioned the corps well for an exciting next phase of growth.”

Click here to learn more about the leadership team of The Battalion Drum & Bugle Corps.