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Bon voyage!

The Albany Marching Falcons officially kicked off their trip to France on Tuesday morning, loading their luggage, their instruments and themselves onto two chartered buses bound for an evening flight from JFK International Airport to Paris.

The group – some 50 City School District of Albany students from grades 6-12 – will be part of France’s official commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. They were accompanied by marching arts director Brian Cady and numerous chaperones and family members.

Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter was among the well-wishers to bid the group farewell.

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Led by director Bryan Cady, the Marching Falcons will be one of only two bands from the U.S. invited to perform on Omaha Beach in Normandy. The Marching Falcons also will perform at D-Day memorial concerts in Falaise, Saint Laurent-sur-Mer and Paris before heading back to Albany on June 11.

The Marching Falcons spent the last year raising money to support their trip.