Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Glenn Miller Orchestra performing Tuesday, June 6 at Webster Groves Concert Hall

The Glenn Miller Orchestra is coming to St. Louis to perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 6 at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, formerly known as the Ozark Theatre.

The venue at 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves, originally a neighborhood movie house known for decades as the Ozark Theatre and then as the Webster Groves Cinema, was refurbished in the 2000s as an event space and had been operating once again under its original name.

The recent decision to re-brand as the Webster Groves Concert Hall is intended to clarify "who we are and where we are located," said Maugy Stevens, one of the hall's proprietors, in an email to StLJN. 

As it happens, June 6 marks the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion that ultimately led to the Allied victory in World War II, and so the Glenn Miller Orchestra's program at the WGCH will commemorate that event with a "salute to the heroes of D-Day."

Miller and his music are associated closely with World War II, as he reached his greatest popularity during the early years of the war, then enlisted to lead an army band, only to have his plane disappear over the English Channel in December 1944 while traveling to entertain US troops in France.

After Miller's death, his band soldiered on, in the process pioneering the now-common concept of a "ghost band" that continues to perform the well-known repertoire of a deceased bandleader. Though there have been a couple of brief hiatuses, the Glenn Miller Orchestra (pictured) has continued into the present day, with licensed versions touring frequently in both the USA and Europe. 

Tickets for the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Webster Groves Concert Hall are $45 and can be purchased by phone at 314-962-7000 or online at http://www.websterconcerthall.org.

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