St. Ottilien – The St. Ottilien School Wind Orchestra received a special honor: as the main band, they were allowed to lead the Steuben Parade in New York City and play the American and German anthems in front of the grandstand.
The young musicians experienced an intense mid-September musical journey to the “Big Apple.” In addition to city tours through Harlem and Bronx and a visit to a “Chicago” musical, the Ottilian musicians have won the hearts of many New Yorkers. The girls from Manhattan’s Cathedral High School were over the moon when the young Germans gave a short concert the day before the parade. The ABBA medley was the best, says orchestra member Jakob Kellerer. The conductor spontaneously played the “Moonriver” waltz.
The school orchestra had also planned a small surprise event for New York pedestrians. In the middle of Time Square, the musicians held a 20-minute Bavarian flash mob concert. Listeners were very impressed with the brass band’s music, Kellerer reports. You have met the taste of Americans well. Another highlight: the evening before the Steuben Parade, a part of the school orchestra was able to play at the gala banquet of the traditional music event.
–The most important date, however, was the Steuben Parade itself: in the beginning, the students performed a potpourri from the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” during the holiday service in St. Patrick’s Church. And at 12 the parade began.
As the first German orchestra, the Ottilianer leads the musical procession and plays the German and American national anthems in front of the grandstand – a great honor in the United States. Together with the New York police band, the brass youths greeted each other with a brisk march.
–
