Sem Parker, a senior at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, has been selected to be a member of the Bands of America Honor Band in the 137th Rose Parade, it was announced Friday.
Sem is the drum major and a trumpeter in LCCHS’s Maverick Brigade marching band under the direction of Charles Mekealian. He was selected to the national band by the nonprofit Music for All.
“To be part of this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students, and a testimony to their dedication to music,” said Bands of America Honor Band director Richard Saucedo. “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 Sem Parker on participating in this fantastic experience.”
The Bands of America Honor Band is a national ensemble with more than 250 performers including winds, percussion, and color guard. Parker will rehearse, perform at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest, participate in special activities, and march in the Jan. 1, 2026, parade.
The Bands of America Honor Band also performed in the Rose Parade in 2005, in 2009 when it was a part of the President’s Award-winning entry created with National Association of Music Merchants and Sesame Street Workshop, and in 2013, 2017 and 2022.
“The Magic in Teamwork” will be the theme for the 2026 Rose Parade, which will make its annual 5 1/2-mile procession trek down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has been named the parade’s Grand Marshal.
Two dozen marching bands appeared in January’s parade, including groups from across the country as well as Japan, Denmark and Chile. The bands of the two universities competing in the Rose Bowl Game — Oregon and Ohio State — also marched in the procession.
Nearly 40 floats make their way along Colorado Boulevard, including some sponsored by Southland cities and others backed by businesses and organizations.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance took top honors in the float competition in the 2025 parade, winning the Sweepstakes Trophy for the second consecutive year for its entry “Friendship Across the Earth,” featuring two giant pandas frolicking around their new home, the reimagined Panda Ridge habitat.
–City News Service
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