SAN ANGELO, Texas — The ASU Ram Band will be ringing in the new year Italian style.
The Angelo State University Ram Band has been officially invited to participate and perform in the 2024 Rome New Year's Parade and Festival in Rome, Italy, on Jan. 1, 2024.
Bob Bone, the co-founder and chairman of Rome New Year officially made the announcement Monday morning at ASU's Carr Fine Arts Building.
"Well, the aim of the whole thing is that it is a life-changing experience. It's something that the students will never, ever forget," Bone said. "ASU was selected for Rome simply because they came to London four or five years ago to perform in our event at the London New Year's Day Parade and Festival. They were such wonderful crowd pleasers, they were such good performers that it was a bit of a no-brainer."
The Rome New Year's Parade is a European-style parade that proceeds along the Via della Conciliazione, incorporates some of the most treasured areas of the city, such as the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, and culminates at St. Peter's Square. The 2024 parade will include thousands of performers from all over the world, with an expected street audience of 250,000 people. It will also be televised and streamed live across the globe.
This will be the second international performance for the ASU Ram Band, which led the 2019 London New Year's Day Parade in London, England.
"It is once again an honor to represent Angelo State on the international stage," said Dr. Jonathan Alvis, ASU director of bands. "This invitation is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our students over the past five years. We are extremely excited to give our students the opportunity to visit this historic city and perform for hundreds of thousands of people."
The Rome New Year's Parade is also the only such event officially recognized and partnered by the Comune di Roma, which administers the municipal territory of the city of Rome as the capital of Italy.
