George “Jeff” Perkins, Corps Director
Congratulations to Jeff Perkins who was inducted into the Avant Garde Hall of Fame in honor of his dedication & life long commitment to the more than 1,000 people whose lives he enriched as Director of Avant Garde Drum & Bugle Corps.
Jeff started his love for Drum Corps at 11 years old, playing soprano bugle in the Saratoga NY Ambassadors 1953-1956. He went on to march with Fort Edward NY Vagabonds 1957-1958, Gloversville NY Fusiliers 1959-1961, Interstatesmen 1962-1966, Marksmen 1968, and the Syracuse Brigadiers 1971. He became the Asst. Director of the Saratoga NY Bethesda Hurricanes 1966-1971, Director of the Bethesda Emerald Knights 1972-1974, and the Director of Avant Garde Drum and Bugle Corps 1975-1985. He taught M&M for Bethesda Hurricanes, Troy Muchachos, Bethesda Emerald Knights, and Avant Garde. Jeff was an advisor to Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps and was inducted DCNY Hall of Fame.
During his time as the Director of Avant Garde Drum and Bugle Corps, the corps traveled all over the country touring, winning the Class B World Open championship and six NY state championships in a row. In 1984, Saratoga’s Avant Garde was ranked the 15th best Drum and Bugle Corp in the world. In Jeff’s words “…you become part of a unit of people that have the same goal, the same leadership and drive. That whole idea caught me and then, it was all I wanted to do.”
In 2021, Jeff was the first member to be inducted into the Avant Garde Hall of Fame.
