VIC KULINSKI

Vic Kulinski has been active in the Marching and Performing Arts as a performer, a director, an arranger and an educator for over 40 years. Vic has won numerous individual awards as a snare and multi-tenor drummer, as well as drum major. He has won the DCA World Championships Class-A “Best Drum Major” award 6 times and has consistently placed top 5 in the DCA I&E Championships on snare drum since 1989. Vic has arranged and taught for many award winning high school bands throughout the country. Some of which include: Norwalk, Naugatuck and Shelton high school bands in Connecticut and Cypress Creek, William R. Boone, University (Orlando), Citrus and Middleburg high school bands in Florida. 

Vic was a performer (snare-timpani-quads-drum major) and Corps Director for the 3-time DCA World Champion, Connecticut Hurricanes. Vic co-founded and led the 2-time DCA “Class-A” World Champion and 3-time DCA Best Percussion as director and drum major of Heat Wave of Orlando. He was a performer, snare technician, drum major and board member from 2006 – 2009 with DCA Open Class Finalist and DCA South Champions, Atlanta CV. Through the years, he has also performed with the Oxford Explorers, Prospect Drum Corps, Connecticut Royal Lancers, Bahia Shriners Drum Corps and Bayonne NJ Bridgemen. 

Vic founded Riptide Percussion Theater (RPT) in 2008 and has served as the Executive Director/Program Director since its inception. Vic has performed professionally with Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL) groups such as Da JAMMitors, Founders of Freedom Fife & Drum Corps, Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps and Rhythm Rascals. He also performed and directed percussion performers at Universal Studios (Orlando, FL) along with many conventions in the surrounding area as well as in Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Boston and Phoenix. Vic was the Principal Percussionist for the Orlando Stage Co. from 1998-2002. His percussion ensembles have opened for musical acts Bob Marley, Kool and the Gang and Tower of Power.  He is an FMBC and US Bands adjudicator. In 1997,1998 and 2003 Vic was the DCI Housing Coordinator and has been on the DCI Tour Team since 2016. Since 1998 he has been a Parade Marshal for the Florida Citrus Sports Parade. From 2004-2015, Vic was the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) South Region Coordinator and Chief Judge From 2011-2017, was on the FFCC Board of Directors as Premiere and Elite Events Coordinator and Winds & Percussion Liaison. 

Vic was inducted into the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum & Bugle Corps Hall of Fame as a Charter Member in 1994. In 2013, Vic received the honor of being inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame.  Currently, along with RPT Percussion, Vic is a private instructor and also the arranger and caption head for Leesburg and University (Orange City) high school bands. He is an Educational Artist with Pro Mark and endorses Evans Drum Heads, System Blue, Sabian Cymbals and Yamaha Percussion.