On Sunday, September 27th, the Performing Arts Center (PAC) presented The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. The Orchestra was formed by Glenn Miller 75 years ago, and since then has performed in all 50 US states as well as Europe, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Guam, the Philippines, South and Central America. Traveling 48 out of 52 weeks a year, the Orchestra play a total of about 300 play dates a year. The Orchestra consists of music director/male vocalist Nick Hilscher, female vocalist Natalie Angst, five saxophone players, four trumpeters, four trombonists, and three rhythm musicians (piano, bass and drums). By two o’clock the audience was seated and the show began. The Orchestra members all came out in matching suits and ties, their brass instruments gleaming under the stage lights. The band sat in their seats and started playing Tuxedo Junction, filling the room with swinging music. The band then went on to play other classics before ending the first half of the performance with The American Patrol as a salute to War veterans.
When the band began the second half they introduced a vocal group called The Moonlight Serenaders, which included Nick Hilscher, Natalie Angst and three other Orchestra members. The group sang along to Chattanooga Choo-Choo, which earned The Glenn Miller Orchestra the first gold record ever awarded to a performing artist, Perfidia and I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo. They also played Pennsylvania 6-5000, a crowd favorite, and my personal favorite September in the Rain, which Nick sang as the vocalist. The Orchestra’s finale consisted of Sunrise Serenade and Moonlight Serenade. The crowd loved it so much they did an encore performance of St. Louis Blues March.
Although the performance was only two hours long it transported the audience back to the era of swing and big band.