London calling for Lancer marching band
Mar. 30—LONDONDERRY — Students musicians at Londonderry High School got a special in person invitation recently that will take them across the pond to perform in a prestigious parade.
On March 21, representatives from the London New Year's Day Parade paid Londonderry a visit to personally invite the band to come to London and perform in the parade on Jan. 1, 2024.
The parade's found and chairman of the parade, Bob Bone, along with Duncan Sandys, the great-grandson of famed wartime leader and prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, came to Londonderry High School with the personal invitation.
Sandys, who now lives in Georgia, is an ambassador for the London parade.
Both men spoke to band members about the parade and what a great opportunity it will be.
Back in January, band members first heard about the opportunity to travel to London.
A surprise announcement then came as Steve Summers, also representing the London parade, welcomed the Londonderry students in the early morning video call and invited them to join the longstanding London tradition next year.
"It's huge in our country," Summers told the students during the January call, "and the highlight of our year."
Summers noted the parade marches down through the city of London, passing by the most historic and notable sights and buildings, including Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and other famed spots.
The parade draws upwards of 8,000 performers from all around the world and is broadcast across major viewing outlets, with an expected 350 million people worldwide tuning on to watch.
Thousands more will line London streets to watch in person.
The parade performance will be screened live on network television across the United States by Public Broadcasting System that just signed an agreement to syndicate the parade for the next three years.
The band, and other musicians will spend a week in London as part of the parade trip, with opportunities to not only march in the parade but absorb a lot of culture and education by visiting museums, historic sites and other points of London interest.
The London parade has been held for 40 years, and organizers are always on the lookout for what America bands and groups can offer, organizers said.
Londonderry's band has a long history of taking part in influential and famed parades and other events, including numerous trips to New York City for the St. Patrick's Day Parade and appearances in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
One major milestone was being selected to represent New Hampshire and perform in the presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C. in 2009.
The band, under the leadership of Serge Beaulieu, will take on major fundraising efforts to help support the trip abroad.
