Contributed article
THATCHER — Chelsea Lauritzen, a junior at Thatcher High School, has been selected by Music for All to be a member of the Bands of America Honor Band in the 2026 Roses Parade presented by Honda, in Pasadena, Calif.
Lauritzen will join hundreds of performers from across the nation in this prestigious national honor band.
She is the daughter of Whitney and Jacob Lauritzen, and is a member of the Thatcher High School Marching Band under the direction of Ruth Ann Young.
The Bands of America Honor Band is a national ensemble with more than 250 performers including winds, percussion, and color guard. Richard Saucedo, composer, conductor and retired director of the national champion Carmel H.S. (IN) marching band, will direct the 2026 Bands of America Honor Band, with assistance from Dr. Melissa Gustafson-Hinds, director of bands at O’Fallon Township H.S. (IL).
Lauritzen, a color guard performer, will spend a week in Southern California, where she will rehearse, perform at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest, participate in special activities, and deliver a featured appearance in the famous parade broadcast worldwide.
The 137th Rose Parade presented by Honda begins at 9 a.m. New Year’s Day and is themed “The Magic in Teamwork.” The 5.5-mile parade will be televised worldwide through the parade’s broadcast partners. Magnificent floral floats, spirited marching bands, and talented equestrian units anchor the traditional, two-hour spectacle along Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard. Learn more about the parade and broadcast at tournamentofroses.com.
“To be part of this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students, and a testimony to their dedication to music,” Saucedo said. “The Rose Parade is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures. The 2026 Honor Band members are ambassadors of America’s scholastic music and arts programs, as well as their schools and communities. Congratulations to Chelsea Lauritzen on participating in this fantastic experience.”
This will mark the sixth time Music for All’s Bands of America Honor Band has performed in the Rose Parade presented by Honda. The Bands of America Honor Band also performed in the Rose Parade in 2005, 2009 when it was a part of the President’s Award-winning entry created with NAMM and Sesame Street Workshop, 2013, 2017, and in 2022.
Music for All sponsors and partners will play an important role in preparing the Bands of America Honor Band for their performances. Yamaha Corporation of America, MFA’s National Presenting Sponsor, will provide percussion and brass instruments. Fred J. Miller, Inc. will outfit the members in custom uniforms designed by award-winning designer Michael Cesario, one of the nation’s leading pageantry visionaries. Music Travel Consultants, MFA’s Official Student Travel Partner, will manage the travel, housing and logistics for the band members and their families.
Bands of America is a program of Music for All and one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of active music making. Music for All is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization.
