Lebanon Valley College’s marching band, the Pride of The Valley, had the honor of leading the London New Year’s parade in January. The largest marching band in the Middle Atlantic Conference, the Pride also performed in one of London’s Gala halls. During the trip, 90 students and 12 alumni, along with professors, family, and friends, toured, explored, and shared their artistic talents with an international audience.

Audio & music production major Anna Heitman ’24 marched in the parade as part of the Color Guard.

“The day of the parade was a blur,” she said. “I was pretty nervous since we were in the front of the parade. It was about 45 minutes, but it felt like 10 minutes. We wanted to do it all over again because it was so much fun! I’m proud of the guard for putting so much work into the parade and the show.”

Heitman also played the baritone saxophone as part of an LVC student quartet that premiered an original piece composed by music major Jacob McGovern ’24.

“It was a fun project, and I’m fortunate to have professors like Dr. Justin Morrell help me grow as a composer,” said McGovern, one of the Pride’s drum majors. “Dr. Chris Heffner trusted me to debut my composition in London. This experience could only have been possible with the other quartet members. I’ve never performed a work of my own in a historic venue like that before. The opportunity was surreal.”

Trumpet section leader Emily Whitewolf ’25 said the excursions in London and the surrounding region were memorable. “We had a lot of freedom to explore,” said the digital communications and interaction design double major. “One of my favorite parts of the trip was touring the staterooms at Windsor Castle. I also loved seeing European architecture throughout the city.” Whitewolf said the London trip motivated her to apply to, and enroll at, LVC. She called the experience “an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”