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Furman University bands invited to play London Parade
Sue Samuels, Furman’s director of bands and music education coordinator, poses with London Parade Founder and Chairman Bob Bone after he invited the Paladin Regiment Marching Band to perform in the 2027 parade.
Furman University’s marching band will be ringing in the new year in London by performing for millions of viewers around the globe.
On Tuesday, organizers from London Parade came to Furman’s campus to formally invite the Paladin Regiment Marching Band to perform in the 2027 parade, and for the symphonic band to play in London Parade’s festival concert series. Members of the band performed in the Daniel Music Building for Bob Bone, founder and chairman of London Parade, who traveled from overseas to deliver the invitation in person.
Furman Bands members played Tuesday evening, when they were invited to perform during the London Parade, a New Year’s Day celebration watched by millions every year.
“I think any time we get to represent our university is meaningful and something we value,” said Sue Samuels, Furman’s director of bands and music education coordinator.
This year 8,700 people participated in the parade, representing 26 countries. More than 550,000 people attended the parade in person, and it reached about 380 million homes on television globally.
“We have created what we call the greatest event in the greatest city in the world,” said Bob Bone, founder and chairman of London Parade. “On the relatively narrow streets of London, you’ll see just how many people that is.”
Ahead of New Year’s Day, the band will be treated to tours of various historic and cultural sites throughout London. Many of the band members gathered on Tuesday had traveled to London previously. Caroline James ’27 – a flute player from Greer, South Carolina – said she’d never been to the English capital. She said being invited is such an honor, and she’s most excited to visit the libraries at the University of Oxford.
Furman University has longstanding connections with London and the British Isles dating back to the first in 1969. For the band, international travel poses a unique opportunity to connect with their fellow musicians and flex their leadership and collaboration skills.
“Group travel is one of the most significant ways we can get to know each other as individuals,” Samuels said. “They’ll have these memories for the rest of their lives.”