AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jorge Villaseñor was chosen as one of about 300 students from across the country, 32 of whom are from Texas, who will march with the Bands of America Honor Band in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day 2026.
The Rose Parade features three types of entries: floats, marching bands and equestrian units. The Bands of America Honor Band is one of 19 bands that will march the parade route.
According to its website, the Rose Parade has welcomed bands from high schools, colleges and universities, and military bands. The parade lineup has showcased bands from around the world, including Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, Central America, and the Pacific Islands.
The Bands of America, or BOA, Honor Band is a 300-piece national ensemble with winds, percussion, and color guard. The 2026 Honor Band was invited to participate in the Rose Parade for the sixth time; in the past, the Honor Band was featured in the parade in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
The 2026 BOA Honor Band is aiming to make history by including members representing each of the 50 states. The 2026 band director is composer, conductor, and retired director of the national champion Carmel H.S. (IN) marching band, Richard Saucedo. He’ll be assisted by Dr. Melissa Gustafson-Hinds, director of bands at O’Fallon Township H.S. (IL).
Villaseñor participated in marching band for seven years, through middle and high school. He graduated from Manor New Tech High School this past spring and studies political science at St. Edward’s University, which doesn’t have a band program.
He said participating in the parade will be special for him because he grew up watching it, but also because it’s likely his last marching band-related activity for the foreseeable future.
“It’s really sad for me, I don’t want to say goodbye to marching. I love marching,” Villaseñor said. “This would be my third parade with the band. My first parade, we went to Washington, D.C., for Memorial Day, it was my freshman year. And then my senior year, we ended up going to San Antonio to the parade over there for Fiesta. And now I get to close it off with the Rose Parade.”
Villaseñor started with band in 6th grade, playing tuba, and just stuck with it.
“And so I just, ever since then, I started showing up to all the rehearsals. I love the music. I love the people I was around, they really made me fall in love with being a musician, and that’s what kept me going all through my high school years,” he said.
Villaseñor is one of 32 Honor Band members who are representing Texas at the Rose Parade, and the only student from Manor New Tech High School going. He said he grew up watching the parade.
“I’ve always wanted to go in person and see it in California, but I never realized one day I was going to go down to the parade and be able to March it now,” he said. “So it’s just a huge accomplishment and I’m really excited to be up in California for this parade.”
He got letters of recognition for his selection to the BOA Honor Band from Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson earlier this year, he said.
“I did not expect getting a card from the governor,” Villaseñor said. “I was not expecting anything at all. I saw the letter in the mailbox and I was like, ‘I wonder what could it be?’ And so I opened it, and he was just congratulating me on my selection to the honor band.”
“And then I got, like two days after, I got one from the mayor, and he also said congratulations on representing the state of Texas and your high school, and I was just in shock because there was two important letters that arrived the same week,” Villaseñor said. “And so I was just really proud of my accomplishment.”
The BOA Honor Band will head to California a little less than a week before the parade to begin rehearsals and perform at Bandfest with the rest of the marching bands that were chosen for the parade.
The Allen Eagle Band and Color Guard, the largest high school marching band in Texas (and perhaps the largest in the nation), was also invited to participate in the 2026 Rose Parade.
The 137th annual Rose Parade will take place on Jan. 1, 2026, from 8-10 a.m. on Orange Grove Blvd. and Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, California.
The Texans chosen for the BOA Honor Band 2026 are listed below:
Bass Clarinet:
Reagan Brumley – Keller H.S., TX
Alto Saxophone:
Avery Branham – Hendrickson H.S., TX
Brandon Moreno – Bridgeland H.S., TX
Mitch Timmons – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
Tenor Saxophone:
Ian Ortega-Huerta – Eastlake H.S., TX
Trumpet:
Luke Carp – Pearland H.S., TX
Eliseo Navarro – Roma H.S., TX
Noah Quintana – Liberty H.S., TX
Mellophone:
Carter Caballero – Pearland H.S., TX
Nathan Maldonado – Veterans Memorial H.S., TX
Sebastian Sanchez – Fort Stockton H.S., TX
Trombone:
Bridget Adamo – Creekview H.S., TX
Joaquin Benitez – Nimitz H.S., TX
Owen Hackett – Round Rock H.S., TX
Thomas Hawthorne – Sabine Middle School, TX
Griffin Jones – Carthage H.S., TX
Zachary Parks – Stratford H.S., TX
Sven Paypa – Academy H.S., TX
Max Van Beest – The Woodland H.S., TX
Baritone:
Waylon Carrasco – McNeil H.S., TX
Tuba:
Brandon Cohn – Vandegrift HS, TX
Jorge Villasenor – Manor New Tech H.S., TX
Color Guard:
Audrey Hendrick – Plano Senior H.S., TX
Camryn Hill – Cy Fair H.S., TX
Christina Johnson – Cy Fair H.S., TX
Cameron Phillips – Hebron H.S., TX
Payton Stuart – Marcus H.S., TX
Ashley Vanegas – Marcus H.S., TX
Percussion:
Snare:
Ashton Salsberry – Veterans Memorial H.S., TX
Bass:
Rodrigo Villasenor – Vines H.S., TX
Cymbals:
Gavin Austin – Argyle H.S., TX
James Wilson – Cy-Ranch H.S., TX
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