The Glenn Miller Orchestra Swings at Popejoy Hall

The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra jumps into Popejoy Hall on Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 3:00 pm, for a blast to the big-band past.

The orchestra honors former music director Glenn Miller and features saxophones, trumpets, trombones, a rhythm section, that lone clarinet, and vocalists. Recreating the sounds that defined a generation, Miller's renowned compositions and arrangements come back to life for their return engagement.

After forming in 1938 and finally finding a unique sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra was soon in great demand. They broke records at the New York State Fair and the Hershey Park Ballroom. In 1939, Time Magazine stated that as many as a quarter of the songs in any jukebox in the country were Glenn Miller Orchestra records. The big band topped record sales charts for years with hits like "Moonlight Serenade," "Tuxedo Junction," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "In the Mood," and "Chattanooga Choo Choo." Once the United States entered World War II, Miller's hits like "American Patrol," "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo," and "A String of Pearls" celebrated a distinctly American sound and energy.

Hollywood brought Miller's music to a wider audience, featuring the band in two films, Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives. As the war effort ramped up, Miller enlisted in the army with the intent of bringing music to the troops to keep up their morale. He was given the rank of captain and charged with organizing a band from military personnel. Once assembled, the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band played at military bases across the country and in Great Britain. They performed over 800 times in less than a year, including 500 radio broadcasts. Miller was promoted to the rank of major.

While stationed in Great Britain in late 1944, the band was assigned to a six-week tour of Europe. They were to be based in Paris, which the Allies had recently liberated from German occupancy. Miller decided to travel ahead to make sure everything was ready for the band's arrival. On December 15, 1944, he boarded a plane for France. His plane disappeared during bad weather over the English Channel and he was never seen again. Following Glenn Miller's presumed death, the Miller estate allowed past band member Tex Beneke to form a band in Glenn Miller's name, but the group was disbanded in 1950. After the movie biography The Glenn Miller Story became a huge box office success, another band was formed under the Glenn Miller Orchestra name and has continued under different leaders through to the present day. Now under the leadership of music director Nick Hilscher, who also performs as one of the band's vocalists, the orchestra tours the world with 18 members playing Miller's original arrangements along with more modern compositions given the Glenn Miller sound. The Glenn Miller Orchestra delivers a swinging event each time it stops at Popejoy Hall.

Tickets to the Glenn Miller Orchestra are on sale for $64, $45, $35, and $25. Tickets may be purchased online at popejoypresents.com. Tickets are also available to purchase in person at the UNM Ticket Offices located at the UNM Bookstore or by calling (505) 277-4569. For more information on the 2021-2022 Popejoy Presents season, visit popejoypresents.com.