Marshall University’s marching band, the Marching Thunder, will be traveling to London, England, during December 2019 and will perform in the 2020 New Year’s Day Parade.
The School of Music is planning a special ceremony and celebration from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in the Henderson Center, during which it will receive the official invitation from the executive director of the parade as well as the Lord High Mayor of London.
The Marching Thunder was selected after a global search of marching bands and following the band’s successful international debut in Rome in 2016. In addition to the parade performance, the members of the Marching Thunder will enjoy several days of educational tours and sightseeing in England.
The London New Year’s Day Parade is one of the largest of its kind. It is broadcast throughout England and the United States. It includes marching bands from around the world as well as floats, balloons, and other entries. Similar to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the event includes a parade route through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Waterloo Place, and culminates in a grandstand performance that is broadcast live.
“One of the favorite parts of my job is being able to offer new and different opportunities to students,” said Dr. Adam Dalton, director of bands in Marshall’s School of Music. “Events like this one are once in a lifetime. I have been fortunate to travel the world thanks to music and I love that I get give that to our students at Marshall. It is an incredible honor to receive our second invitation to an international parade and I can’t wait to experience this with the Marching Thunder.”
In an e-mail invitation to join the event, Powell Johann, senior director of International Participation for London’s New Year’s Day Parade, said the invitation was due to “the prowess you showed in the sister event in Rome several years ago and by continuing accolades from USA-based music educators and adjudicators.”
“In addition to that, I do want to add that we involved with Youth Music were so very impressed with the deportment, manners and good humor of your band members,” Johann said. “Their friendliness and cooperation were remarked on with some passion by the authorities in Frascati, Rome, and the Vatican itself. … They were marvelous ambassadors for the nation, and we expect much the same next year in London where they will receive a great welcome.”