Prospect High School orchestra invited to perform in London

Prospect High School will be visited by representatives of the British government Monday when the PHS Orchestra receives a formal, in-person invitation to perform in the 2012/2013 London New Year’s Gala Concerts. Lord Mayor of the city of Westminster, Duncan Sandys, will be joined by Executive Director Robert Bone of the London Parade and Gala Concerts and his staff in making a special visit to the school.

Lord Mayor Sandys, the great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, and Mr. Bone will speak to an assembly of music students, parents, school officials, and community members, and will tour the school.

At 2 p.m. a special performance by the Prospect Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Patrick O’Connor, will take place in the school cafeteria. The Lord Mayor will then present the London Gala Concert invitation to the orchestra, followed by a reception.

In February each year, the Lord Mayoralty selects an elite number of groups that it wishes to visit in the United States in connection with London’s New Year’s Day Parade, one of the most important events on Westminster’s calendar. Prospect received the honor for the first time in 2007, when the Lord Mayoralty extended an invite to perform in the 2008/2009 New Year’s Parade.