A Pella High School graduate has been pursuing her passion for music through a unique format over the past few summers. Eliza Van Zee is a member of the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps in Canton, Ohio, a marching ensemble made up of 165 young brass and percussion musicians. She was chosen out of well over 1,000 auditions to take part in the experience.

Van Zee has been rehearsing and training ahead of the 2025 summer tour for the group that won the 2024 World Class Championship through Drum Corps International. The current schedule has her working up to 14 hours per day ahead of several performances across the United States. Van Zee previously marched with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps in Dubuque.

Eliza is grateful for the experiences she had with the Marching Dutch, which not only set the stage for her summer experiences, but her ongoing membership with the Iowa State Cyclones Football Varsity Marching Band in the fall.

“I wouldn’t be half the musician I am today without those directors [in Pella],” she says. “Because they really pushed me to my full potential in high school, and without having that support and belief from them that I can do something like this, I’m just so grateful for that, both from being able to do Drum Corps, but also being in leadership positions in the Iowa State Marching Band.”

Van Zee hopes she’s opening a door to other musicians in Pella and showcasing what opportunities are out there for Marching Dutch alumni after high school.

Hear more from Van Zee on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.