Long-time brass arranger JD Shaw has announced his retirement from Phantom Regiment after 17 years with the organization.

Shaw marched in Phantom Regiment in 1990 and 1991 after time with the Sky Ryders. He served as brass arranger from 2002 to 2011, a run that included the 2008 DCI World Championship, and returned to the role from 2020 through 2026 after seven years with Santa Clara Vanguard (2012-2019), where he contributed to the 2018 title and high brass trophy. Outside of drum corps, Shaw is an associate professor of horn and staff arranger at the University of South Carolina.

Phantom Regiment have simultaneously announced the full design team and caption leadership for the 2027 season. Four of eight design positions are new faces:

New additions:

• Becca Anderson - Creative Director (previously Creative Director, Sacramento Mandarins)
• Vince Oliver - Brass Arranger/Composer (previously brass arranger, Sacramento Mandarins; sound designer, Bluecoats 2014-2018)
• Trent Gronewold - Sound Designer (previously front ensemble arranger/sound designer, Gold; lead orchestrator, Box Six)
• Katie Hopkins - Movement Caption Head/Choreographer, Brass (previously choreographer, Santa Clara Vanguard; Paramount WGI)

Returning staff:

• Steven Estudillo - Visual Designer
• Tyler Sammons - Front Ensemble Arranger/Percussion Supervisor
• Matt Penland - Battery Arranger
• Matt Hartwell - Program and Staff Coordinator (expanded role)

The new design team brings together voices from across the marching arts, with Anderson and Oliver both arriving from the Sacramento Mandarins program.

Source: Phantom Regiment official announcements, September 8, 2026.

Related: The End of an Era and the Beginning of Something Else: Phantom Regiment Rebuild Their Design Team - DCI Forge Analysis