Cypress High School band chosen to march in 2015 Rose Parade

CYPRESS, Calif. (KABC) -- A high school band in Orange County is celebrating after being chosen to march in the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade.

The Cypress High School Centurion Imperial Brigade was chosen from hundreds of applicants to take part in the 126th annual event.

Richard Chinen, the president of the Rose Parade, delivered the official invite himself on Tuesday.

"We would like to honor Cypress High School with the tournament flag to march in the Jan. 1, 2015, 126th Rose Parade," Chinen said.

The 160 musicians and 15 flag-waving pageantry members could hardly believe their good fortune.

"This is pretty exciting. I did not expect any of this to happen, but I'm glad that it did," said band member Azra Duran Garcia.

Band director James Quirion shares in his students' excitement. He says it's like winning the championship.

"The Rose Parade, obviously, is the granddaddy of them all. It is the parade that every marching band wants to be in," said Quirion.

Come New Year's Day, when the band makes the turn from Orange Grove to Colorado Boulevard, they'll be seeing a sea of people on both sides; hundreds of thousands along the 5.5-mile route will be cheering them on. And of course, there's also the additional 5.5 million viewers from around the world watching on TV.

"We were able to select them because of the way they look, the way they sound, the way they march and their spirit," said Chinen.

They are one of just 20 bands chosen, and this is the first time a band from Cypress has been selected.