By Andrew Skerritt
Florida A&M University’s Marching “100” Band will be in Los Angeles this weekend to perform at the Second Annual Chosen-1’s Invitational.
The four-game high school tournament is being held in partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Nike and four-time NBA champion LeBron James on Saturday, January 7 at the University of South California’s (USC) Galen Center. The Marching “100” will perform at halftime of three games.
“The event will feature several elite high school basketball programs from around the country and will now feature the most illustrious marching band in the world,” wrote Giovanni Fillari, North America Brand Marketing for Nike in the letter of invitation. The event will feature on-site activations by Nike, which will provide attendees the opportunity to take home selected Nike-branded items.
Band Director Shelby Chipman, Ph.D., said Nike is covering expenses for flights, hotel, meals, ground transportation, honorarium 60 students, six to eight staff/media team.
“We are delighted to be invited to perform again in California. It gives us a chance to introduce ourselves to a new audience who may not have been exposed to the wonderful talent on display in the Marching “100,”’ Chipman said.
This is the band’s first return to California since its performance in the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena. Last summer, a contingent of the band performed at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion Show in Paris.
