Ascend Performing Arts is excited to announce that Tony Lymon has joined the Blue Knights family as our new Artistic Lead!
Tony has spent the past two DCI seasons serving on the design team and Audio Caption Supervisor for Carolina Crown. He currently serves on the design team for United Percussion World and UP2 where he shares multiple roles, including: creative design, sound design, and arranger. He recently completed a twenty-four year tenure as the co-music arranger/show designer for the Petal High School marching band in Petal, Mississippi and is the director and show designer for the Petal Indoor Percussion Theatre, a national WGI Percussion Scholastic World Class Finalist. He has twice been awarded the Outstanding Junior High Director of the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors Association and the 2008 Mississippi Bandmasters Association AE McClain Outstanding Young Band Director Award. Tony was also the Founder and Director of Eminence Indoor Percussion Ensemble (2003-2005), a regional and national WGI Open Class finalist and championship ensemble.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Tony Lymon to the Blue Knights family as our new Artistic Lead.” said Daniel Belcher, Executive Director of the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps. “Tony’s impressive and diverse background in music, design, and performance brings a wealth of experience and creativity. His dedication to the craft, evident in his years of service in the marching arts, aligns perfectly with the Blue Knights’ commitment to excellence. As we embark on this exciting journey with Tony, we are confident that his informed perspective and innovative ideas will not only build on our storied legacy but also propel us into a bright and dynamic future. Tony’s authenticity and positive energy are contagious, and we believe his presence will not only enhance our creative team but also inspire our members to reach new heights.”
Tony holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Certification in 3D Architectural Rendering from The 3D Training Institute of New York. He was a member and principal percussionist in the world renowned Southern Miss Wind Ensemble and Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra. While at Southern Miss, Tony was the percussion arranger for the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and USM indoor percussion ensemble. Tony was also a member of the World Champion Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps (Bloomington, IN) from 1991-1993. In his three years of DCI experience, he won the DCI-Midwest Solo Timpani Champion and the 1994 Percussive Arts Society International Solo Timpani Award. Tony’s original marimba composition “Of Thoughts and Thinking” has become a standard in percussion literature. The piece was most recently recorded by German percussion artist Cornelia Monkse on the CD “Marimba 2” and was featured in the French documentary film “Le Ciel.”
“The most exciting part of this new journey is being a part of a creative team building on the decades of success Blue Knights has established and also creating new perspectives on BK’s identity. A task I hold with the utmost respect and enthusiasm.” -Tony Lymon
After college, Tony pursued a professional performance career for eight years with the pop/rock band King Konga . While with King Konga, Tony toured the world selling out venues nationwide. The group did a post September 11th USO tour for the U.S. Military in Hawaii and South East Asia. The four-piece band gained critical acclaim reaching #81 on the AC Hot 100 Pop Charts with “Something Good.” With a rare accomplishment by an independent band, King Konga captured the eyes and ears of many major record labels and the band went on to perform at Woodstock ’99. Tony has also performed with The Mississippi Symphony, Mobile Opera, Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera and The Meistersingers Orchestral/Choral Ensemble.
He has also served as Sound Designer for The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018 and Creative Designer for Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps 2019-2020. In the WGI arena, Tony has contributed to creative and aesthetic design with Pulse Percussion, POW, Chino Hills HS, Vision Percussion, United Percussion World, UP2, and feniX Independent World Guard. He is the owner of Eidetic Creative, a multimedia creative designs solution business. He currently resides in Petal, Mississippi with his wife Emily and 16-year-old daughter Colette.
Please join us in welcoming Tony to the Blue Knights Family!