SRU band plays London New Year’s parade
One of the 100-plus entries in London’s New Year’s Day parade Jan. 1 wore colors that were probably familiar to many residents of Butler County.
More than 140 members of Slippery Rock University Marching Pride and staff traveled to England's capital city Dec. 28, after SRU's band was selected to perform in one of world's largest New Year's Day parades.
London’s New Year’s Day parade featured 28 bands from overseas, and SRU’s band marched by more than 500,000 spectators and tens of millions of television viewers, including those watching on PBS in the United States.
Songs performed at the holiday parade included the SRU fight song, the theme from “Rocky” and, for their finale performance, “Make Me Smile,” a tune made famous by the rock band Chicago, said a news release from SRU.
The news release also said the last time the Marching Pride performed on the international stage was at the 2019 St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin, Ireland, but none of the current students were part of that trip.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students, not only to travel overseas with your closest friends, but to showcase your talents for the world,” said Jonathan Helmick, associate professor of music and director of the band. “Receiving this invitation really shows that SRU and our music department have an international reputation.”
