PASADENA, Calif. (KGUN) — Three band students from Cienega High School in Vail will play in the world famous Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on Saturday morning.
Seniors Kiaraly Soto (bass clarinet), Kaesey Borders (trombone) and Kyle Newlin (trombone) will play as part of a 328-piece national ensemble made up of elite high school players (and graduates from 2020 and 2021) from 39 different states.
The group is called the Bands of America Honor Band, which typically plays at the Rose Parade every four years.
Cienega band director Grant Knox marched in the Bands of America Honor Band in 2013 and encouraged Soto, Borders and Newlin to audition.
“I’ve watched this parade since I was little," Borders told KGUN 9 via Zoom on Friday. "Being able to actually march in it, it still doesn’t feel real that we’re here and doing it tomorrow. But it’s real and it’s so exciting.”
“I think this is a really cool way to kinda prepare myself for college, because I’m hoping that my college experience is something similar to this, in the way that it’s a large band," Newlin said.
The three say they are cherishing the experience rehearsing in California and meeting other talented young musicians and instructors from around the country.
“These are connections that we’re gonna have for life," Borders said. "And it’s really cool that it’s all from something we’re really passionate about. It’s really cool that we share those same experiences with each other.”
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