{"id":73670,"date":"2025-04-11T09:31:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T13:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dci.org\/?post_type=hall-of-fame&p=73670"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:45:15","slug":"allan-e-kristensen","status":"publish","type":"hall-of-fame","link":"https:\/\/www.dci.org\/hall-of-fame\/allan-e-kristensen\/","title":{"rendered":"Allan E. Kristensen"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cA judge\u2019s judge\u201d is how one DCI Hall of Fame member described Allan Kristensen.<\/p>

\u201cEvery generation of drum corps instructors and participants has a judge or two who inspires them with their knowledge, their ability to rank and rate, to score fairly and accurately, and for whom the members of the ensemble love to perform,\u201d said DCI Hall of Fame member Dennis Delucia. \u201cAllan Kristensen is the person for the percussion community.\u201d<\/p>

Kristensen started his marching percussion journey with a drum and bell corps in 1967. He would go on to play in multiple famed Santa Clara Vanguard snare lines led by Fred Sanford from 1974 to 1976 \u2014 quite the way to spend one\u2019s \u201cformative years.\u201d He then became a teacher and arranger, eventually taking on the Vanguard percussion section in 1986 and \u201987.<\/p>

Kristensen joined DCI\u2019s adjudication community in 1989; in no time, he became one of DCI\u2019s \u201cgo-to\u201d judges when the marquee events rolled around. He judged his first DCI World Championship Finals in 1992 and would judge 11 Finals events in all before retiring, a record.<\/p>

One of those Finals, though, was especially memorable \u2014 2014. DCI\u2019s director of competition Lee Carlson remembers it well.<\/p>

\u201cWhile judging the Carolina Crown one of the snare drummers dropped his drum,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cAllan picked the drum up and returned it to the young performer \u2014 Something that just came natural to him. The performer had a bad moment, and Allan decided that he could make it better, and he did. The video of the event went viral and was seen all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In his nomination letter, former Vanguard snare drummer and Kristensen student Mike Needham summed up his friend and mentor.<\/p>

\u201cHis excitement is contagious not only to the people and friends who know him, but also to the performers listening to his (recorded commentary),\u201d Needham said. \u201cAllan gets just as pumped as you are when a drum line is having a good night. He\u2019s never happier than when he sees or hears an amazing performance no matter who\u2019s playing or what the show is about.\u201d<\/p>

A sought-after clinician with professional music education and marching music organizations across North American and around the globe, Kristensen\u2019s impact isn\u2019t limited to DCI. Often seen judging the Bands of America Grand Nationals, he\u2019s also served as a past president of the Western Band Association and of the Fresno-Madera County Music Educators Association.<\/p>

\u201cI can think of few among us who possess the creative spirit, energy and acumen to accomplish what Allan has done in his professional and drum corps life,\u201d said retiring DCI judge administrator John Phillips.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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