Worldstrides Heritage Performance Programs invited the Bailey wind ensemble to participate in its Presidential Inauguration Festival activities in and around Washington, D.C., which coincide with the festivities leading up to the inauguration of President Barack Obama Jan. 21, which is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Bailey’s 61-student ensemble, which is one of three Texas schools invited to compete during the festival, will perform three songs: “Semper Fidelis March” by John Philip Sousa, “Sheltering Sky” by John Mackey and “Summer Dances” by Brian Balmages. Following the performance at Annapolis Area Christian School’s Kerr Center for the Arts, the students will visit historic sites in Washington, D.C., and attend the presidential inauguration before returning to Austin Tuesday.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to go to the nation’s capital. To see something as unique as a presidential inauguration—no matter whom they support for president—is an incredible experience,” Bill Haehnel, band director, said. “During the inauguration on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the students will be on the site where Dr. King delivered his most famous speech. It will be a unique and special experience for them.”

The AISD middle school students have been practicing and fundraising for the performance since April, when they were invited to play as the first Texas school selected.

Saturday’s performance is not the Bailey band’s first high-profile showcase. The band has performed at the National Adjudicator’s Invitational in Atlanta and the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis.

For more information about the Bailey band, please visit www.baileyband.org/content/.

For more information about Worldstrides Heritage Performance Programs, please visit www.worldstridesheritageperformance.org.