Area Student Performs in Rose Parade®
Area Student Selected to Perform with the Bands of America Honor Band in the 2013 Rose Parade®
Perry G. Forstall, a Third Year Classical Instrumental Student at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and a Senior at Holy Cross High School has been selected by Music for All to be a member of the Bands of America (BOA) Honor Band in the 2013 Tournament of Roses® Parade. Perry was selected from among hundreds of applicants across the nation for membership in this prestigious national honor band.
The BOA Honor Band is a 325 piece national ensemble with winds, percussion and a flag and dance team. Bob Buckner, who recently retired as director of the Western Carolina University “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band, will direct the 2013 BOA Honor Band. Bands of America is a program of Music for All (MFA), one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of active music making.
Perry a tuba player, will spend a week in southern California, where he will have rehearsals, performances at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland, special activities and a featured appearance in the world-famous parade. The 124th Rose Parade® presented by Honda themed “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” will take place on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. (PST). The 5.5-mile parade (which is often referred to as the “Rose Bowl Parade”) will be broadcast on ABC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, KTLA (Tribune), NBC, RFD-TV and Univision.
“To be selected for this unique opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these students and a testimony to their excellence and achievements,” says Eric Martin, Music for All President and CEO. “Each student is one of only 325 members chosen to be part of the Bands of America Honor Band, and their participation deserves the admiration and support of everyone in their community. The Rose Parade® is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures, and the 2013 Honor Band members will be ambassadors of America’s bands, and of their states and communities.
This will mark the third time Music for All’s Bands of America Honor Band has performed in the Tournament of Roses® Parade. The BOA Honor Band also performed in the Tournament of Roses® Parade in 2005 and in 2009, when it was a part of the President’s Award-winning entry created with NAMM and Sesame Street Workshop. Music for All sponsors and partners will play an important role in preparing the BOA Honor Band for their performances. Yamaha Corporation of America, MFA’s National Presenting Sponsor, will provide percussion and brass instruments. Fred J. Miller, Inc. (FJM) will outfit the members in custom uniforms designed by award-winning designer Michael Cesario, one of the nation’s leading pageantry visionaries. Music Travel Consultants, MFA’s Official Student Travel Partner, will manage the travel, housing and logistics for the band members and their families.