Prospect band to march in London

London is no stranger to knights, but they're not typically of the Prospect High School variety.

Monday, though, the Mount Prospect school's award-winning Marching Knights band, along with its symphony orchestra and chamber choir, received a personal invitation from London to perform in the city's weeklong New Year's celebrations.

Robert Bone, executive director of the London parade, and Roger Bramble, deputy lord lieutenant of Greater London, presented Prospect's music department with an official invitation and plaque at a special assembly in the school's stadium.

As part of the official visit, the Marching Knights also performed for the pair.

Prospect's music groups are among only 15 schools from the U.S. invited to perform during the series of concerts and performances. For Prospect, that includes the gala concerts and New Year's Day parade.

Earlier Monday, Bramble and Bone visited Lake Zurich High School to invite its band to perform in London, also.

London's New Year's Day parade and festival are sponsored by the city of Westminster and supported by Queen Elizabeth. The parade originated in 1987, but already it has boasted a crowd of more than 1 million people along its route -- making it one of the largest in the world -- and 200 million watching on TV.

Most of the marching bands in London's parade come from the U.S. because they're more spectacular, organizers said.

"We may have better brass bands in the United Kingdom and better show bands in Europe, but high school and college marching bands from America, they are the best," Bone said.

Prospect officials also recently learned that its symphony orchestra, jazz band and chamber choir were selected to perform in January at the 2008 Illinois Music Educators' Association all-state conference in Peoria.