Glenn Miller Orchestra Plays At UTC Friday Night

  • Tuesday, October 29, 2024
  • Earl Freudenberg
The Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

The most popular and sought after big band of all time, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, returns to Chattanooga and the UTC Fine Arts Center’s Roland Hayes Concert Hall Friday at 7 p.m. The band will perform their favorite song, Chattanooga Choo Choo, about their favorite city, Chattanooga.

Glenn Miller organized his own band in the mid 30’s and went on to record 31 top ten hits including Chattanooga Choo Choo. The song was the first certified gold record selling over a million copies. The band will perform their greatest hits, including  “Moonlight Serenade” the band’s theme, “In The Mood”, “American Patrol”, “String of Pearls”, “Little Brown Jug”, ”American Patrol”, and of course “Chattanooga Choo Choo”. 

When Glenn Miller joined the Army in 1942 he formed the Army Air Force Band. In the fall of 1944, the band was scheduled to be sent on a six-week tour of Europe and would be stationed in Paris during that time. Miller decided to go ahead, in order to make the proper arrangements for the group’s arrival. On Dec. 15, Glenn Miller boarded a transport plane to Paris, never to be seen again.

The band has continued to perform around the world. Brainerd High School graduate Andy Hagan played trumpet for the Glenn Miller Orchestra when Jimmy Henderson was the director. Music director, tenor saxophonist Erik Stabnau, brings his lifelong enthusiasm for big band music to each performance of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Having grown up with a love for the music of the swing era, Erik naturally gravitated toward Glenn Miller, drawn to his recognizable melodies and the distinctive sound of his reed section.

A Western New York native, Erik learned to play the saxophone, flute, and clarinet in a variety of disciplines before developing an interest in the large ensembles of Ellington, Basie, Dorsey, Miller and others. Excited to pursue a future in music, he attended college at the Eastman School of Music in his hometown of Rochester, earning a bachelor's of music in Jazz and Contemporary Media. Intent on broadening his education, Erik went on to study music business and recording with a masters degree in Audio Arts from Syracuse University. 

Some of the previous Glenn Miller Orchestra conductors were Buddy Morrow, Peanuts Hucko, Buddy Defranco, Ray McKinley and Tex Beneke. 

Tickets are available at the UTC fine arts center, 752 Vine Street and are sold exclusively through the Fine Arts Center box office and online at www.utc.edu/fine-arts-center.

“A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality.” – Glenn Miller


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