TODAY: Glenn Miller Orchestra in Concert at Historic Meyer Theatre to Benefit Door County’s Steel Bridge Songfest, Apr 25
Posted on 24. Apr, 2010 by Stephen Kastner in Heritage
Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation (WTHP) hosts an “Afternoon of Swing” with the world-famous, legendary jazz greats in Green Bay on Sunday, April 25 at 2 pm. This special matinee event celebrates the preservation of two Wisconsin 1930’s originals, the Meyer Theater and Sturgeon Bay’s Memorial Bridge.
The music and the history of the 1930’s and 40’s will come to life on stage at a matching historic venue when the Glenn Miller Orchestra swings in concert at the beautifully restored Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay. Step back to 1941, when the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s Chattanooga Choo-Choo was #1 on the Billboard charts. Featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade, it sold more than a million copies and was awarded the first-ever, Gold Record. It remains the best selling disc of all time. Other likely classics will include: In the Mood, American Patrol, Tuxedo Junction, Moonlight Serenade, Little Brown Jug and Pennsylvania 6-5000.
All proceeds from this event will go toward WTHP’s sponsorship of the Steel Bridge Songfest, the Midwest’s largest songwriter’s festival honoring the state-owned, historic Sturgeon Bay Bridge with the annual creation of original collaborative music. This year’s SBSF event will take place June 10 to 13 in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
According to current orchestra leader, Larry O’Brian, “Glenn Miller loved to collaborate with composers, vocalists, arrangers and other band leaders. He played with Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa among other greats.”
This historic show will also include some additional special guests:
- Historic Theater Restoration Specialist, Mark Ernst, AIA, of Engberg Anderson and
- Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Jim Draeger.
Wisconsin Historical Society Press will feature copies of the recently published Encore for Wisconsin’s Grand Theaters, by Brian Leahy Doyle, along with other relevant publications available for purchase in the lobby.
Tickets are $25 each and include a bonus one-year membership in the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation. They can be purchased online at ticketstaronline.com or by calling 800.895.0071 and are also available by stopping in at the Titletown Brewery in Green Bay or the Holiday Motel in Sturgeon Bay.
This nostalgic event is made possible by the generous support from Billie Kress and Arketype, Inc. of Green Bay.
GMO History Brief;
Glenn Miller began his performance career in the 20’s, started his first band in the 30’s, and by 1939 he had recorded seventeen top-ten hits, with his musical recordings topping the charts for the next several years. In 1942 he joined the U.S. Army in its engagement in World War II. While traveling to entertain U.S. troops in France, Miller’s plane disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. His body was never found.
With his distinctive compositions and swing arrangements having served as a backdrop to the lives of the “Greatest Generation,” there was an ongoing demand for his music. The Orchestra with Band Leader Larry O’Brian continues to perform to sold-out crowds at venues throughout the United States and Canada.
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