The Suffolk Welcomes Glenn Miller Orchestra

On Sunday, August 21, at 4 p.m., Suffolk Theater in Riverhead presents the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which was formed in 1956 and has been touring worldwide ever since.

After his very first orchestra was a complete economic failure, band leader Glenn Miller held to his dedication and relentlessly worked to succeed until he launched his second band in 1938. The legendary Miller was one of the most successful of all dance bandleaders back in the Swing Era of the 1930s and 40s. A matchless string of hit records, the constant impact of radio broadcasts, and the drawing power at theaters, hotels and dance pavilions built and sustained the momentum of popularity.

Miller disbanded his musical organization at the height of its popularity in 1942 to volunteer for the army. There, he organized and led the famous Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. The band performed numerous live and radio shows in Europe to entertain servicemen. On December 15, 1944, Major Miller took off in a single engine plane from Europe to precede his band to France, disappearing over the English Channel, never to be seen again; the army declared him officially dead a year later.

With the release of the major motion movie “The Glenn Miller Story” featuring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in 1954, interest and popular demand led the Miller Estate to authorize the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra. On June 6, 1956, under the direction of drummer Ray McKinley, who had become the unofficial leader of the Army Air Force Band after Miller’s disappearance, the reformed Glenn Miller Orchestra performed its first concert and has been on the road ever since. Other leaders have followed Ray including clarinetists Buddy DeFranco and Peanuts Hucko, trombonists Buddy Morrow, Jimmy Henderson, Larry O’Brien and Gary Tole, and tenor saxophonist Dick Gerhart. Since January 2012, vocalist Nick Hilscher leads the band.

Today, the 18 member ensemble continues to play many of the original Miller arrangements both from the civilian band and the AAFB libraries. Additionally, it also plays some more modern selections arranged and performed in the Miller style and sound. Just as it was in Glenn’s day, The Glenn Miller Orchestra today is still the most sought after big band in the world.

Tickets for Glenn Miller Orchestra are $69, plus applicable fees. Tickets are available online at suffolktheater.com. The Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.