The Big Band Theory Glenn Miller Orchestra at Farthing Auditorium Tuesday Special to The Mountain Times On Tuesday, July 5th, the Glenn Miller Orchestra will bring to Boone their famous big band sound that has been heard around the world since 1938. The performance is part of An Appalachian Summer Festival, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, and will take place in Farthing Auditorium at 8 pm. The performance by the Glenn Miller Orchestra is generously sponsored by SkyBest Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Skyline Telephone Membership Corporation, Inc. Back in the hey-day of the big band era of the forties, every respectable dance band had a distinctive theme song. It was the musical signature with which they signed on and signed off their engagements and radio broadcasts. The theme of the Glenn Miller Orchestra was then, and still is, the beautiful “Moonlight Serenade.” Interestingly enough, Glenn Miller composed this trademark piece as an exercise while studying under arranger, Joseph Schilinger, long before he organized his own orchestra, while he was still a trombonist and arranger with Ray Noble’s famous band. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is the most sought after big band in the world today, for both concert and dance band engagements, with timeless and beloved classics such as Moonlight Serenade, Tuxedo Junction, In The Mood, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, and Stardust. At the height of his band’s popularity in 1942, Glenn Miller disbanded the orchestra so that he could volunteer for the army. Realizing his musical void, he then organized the famous Glenn Miller Air Force Band, which was wildly successful until Miller’s disappearance on December 15, 1944. It was on this day that Miller took off in a single engine plane from London, England, against his better judgment, to precede his band to Paris, France where their European tour was scheduled to begin. The plane vanished without a trace, most likely having crashed, tragically, into the English Channel. The Miller Estate formed the present Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956 answering the strong demand aroused as a result of the successful motion picture, Glenn Miller Story, starring James Stewart and June Allyson. The band has been touring consistently since, playing an average 300 live dates a year around the globe. The Miller library features contributions from many fine arrangers including Bill Finegan, Jerry Gray, Billy May, Mort Lindsay, Dean Kinkaide, Joe Cribari, and Dave Wolpe. With such a deep repertoire, Larry O’Brien, musical director since 1988, brings back the traditional sounds of the orchestra. As one critic raved, “A sense of swing feeling ... seems to have returned with Larry O’Brien’s assumption of the leadership of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. [Larry] has steered his orchestra in the direction the Miller music followers demand-the band’s basic foundation-the Glenn Miller Music.” Tickets to the July 5th performance by the Glenn Miller Orchestra are $18-$25 for adults, $10-$16 for students, and $5-$10 for children ages 12 and under. Members of Skyline Telephone/SkyBest Communications are eligible for ticket discounts. For additional information or to order tickets, call the Farthing Auditorium Box Office at 800.841.2787 or 262.4046 in the Boone area. Box Office hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are also available online at: www.oca.appstate.edu.