Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature Marching Mizzou in 2022
Marching Mizzou, the University of Missouri marching band, received a special surprise back in April.
The band received an invite to perform in the 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This will mark the first time the marching band will participate in the annual holiday tradition in New York.
Wesley Whatley, creative producer for the parade, worked with Marching Mizzou director Amy Knopps and other university officials to share the announcement with band members during a virtual gathering Saturday, April 10.
“With a more than 135-year history, Marching Mizzou has a special legacy as one of the finest and most respected university band programs in the country,” Whatley said in a news release. “The Macy’s Band Selection committee is proud to welcome the University of Missouri as they join our holiday celebration and march in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
Marching Mizzou was among hundreds of applicants for the honor and was one of nine bands selected. The university has a crowd-pleasing marching band that uses entertaining and nostalgic music selections, Whatley said.
"During the selection process, we reviewed a band performance from a halftime show featuring music by Queen," Whatley wrote in an email to the Tribune. "The crowd went wild. It is clear they understand what audiences want to hear, and we know they will deliver a show-stopping performance for our national audience."
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Marching Mizzou has more than 300 members, including the band, drum line, feature twirlers, color guard and Golden Girls.
“This is such an exciting opportunity for our students to represent the university and the state of Missouri on the world stage at an event witnessed by millions of people every year,” Knopps said in the release. “We appreciate the Macy’s Parade Band Committee selecting us for such a prestigious honor.”
The band will spend the next year getting ready for the parade, including rehearsals and holding fundraising events.
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To aid the band's fundraising goal, Macy's is making a $10,000 donation in support of its march toward The Big Apple.
“I am delighted to offer a hearty congratulations to Marching Mizzou for earning this remarkable opportunity,” College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pat Okker said in the release. “We get the privilege of regularly seeing Marching Mizzou’s performances. Now the rest of the country will get to see first-hand what makes Marching Mizzou spectacular.”
The band's position in the parade will be decided in 2022, Whatley wrote in an email.
"For Thanksgiving 2022, we will start work in early 2022 and finalize much closer to November of 2022," he wrote.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Marching Mizzou will perform in 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
