From staff reports
Rochester Civic Music will host a blast from the past Nov. 6 when the Glenn Miller Orchestra plays for a big band dance in Mayo Civic Center's auditorium.
The orchestra will play from the auditorium stage, with a dance floor and tables set up on the main floor. Seating will also be available in the balcony.
The year 2004 is an important milestone for fans of famed band leader Glenn Miller -- the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 60th anniversary of his death. Miller was born in 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa, and as a youngster traded in a mandolin he had received as a gift for a horn. He dropped out of college to concentrate on a career in music, and by 1934, was musical director of Tommy Dorsey's orchestra.
Miller formed his first band in 1937 and nearly went broke. It wasn't until 1938, when he came up with an innovative new sound, that Miller's orchestra began a string of hits: "Tuxedo Junction," "In the Mood" and "Moonlight Serenade." By 1940, the Glenn Miller Orchestra was the most popular band in the country.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two years later, Miller was part of the Army Air Corps, where he formed another band and entertained troops, playing 800 performances in England. On Dec. 15, 1944, Miller took off from London for Paris, to prepare for the transfer of his orchestra to the continent. His plane disappeared and was never found.
The current edition of the Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been performing since then. Trumpeter Larry O'Brien is the musical director.
