By CARL LaVO

COURIER TIMES
 

The Pennsbury High School Marching Band and Pennsbury Jazz Band will hit the road in the spring return trip to China after 20 years.
The musicians have accepted an invitation to perform in Hong Kong
March as the featured entertainment at an international rugby tournament in the city Frank Mazzeo, director of both the marching and jazz bands, announced the 10-day engagement Friday. The band toured mainland China in 1988. “The marching band will perform before 40,000 fans at Hong Kong Stadium on March 30,” Mazzeo said. “It will be the largest crowd that the band has ever performed in front of. And it will be broadcast live to 50 million people throughout Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We’re pretty excited.” The band leaves March 24 and returns April 1.
The key performance at the stadium will be at the Hong Kong Sevens rugby championship tournament.
Other performances by members of both the marching and jazz bands include a concert at the Chinese cultural center and Hong Kong’s Disneyland. The latter has special significance, since the Pennsbury Marching Band will be the only band in the world to have performed at all five Disney theme parks Japan, Hong Kong, France, Florida and California, Mazzeo said.
Mazzeo said the band was chosen to make the trip after submitting a DVD of its performances to the rugby festival organizers and the local government in Hong Kong.
More information on the trip will be posted on the Web at wwwpennsburybands. org.
Carl LaVO can be reached at 215-949-4227 or clavoø phillyBurbs.com.