The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Appearing:

Big Band Festival - Monday 25th June 2012

The Glenn Miller Orchestra UK was formed in 1988 in conjunction with Glenn Miller Productions of New York. The Glenn Miller Orchestra UK has maintained the exact line-up on stage devised by Glenn, consisting of the leader, five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and three rhythm plus a male and female vocalist. The singers perform both individually and as part of The Moonlight Serenaders vocal group. The Uptown Hall Gang - an outstanding Dixieland group drawn from members of the orchestra is also featured.

The Band's library comprises of more than 200 scores, many of them from the original library, which includes the great arrangements from both the civilian and Army/Air Force orchestras. The library features contributions from the world's greatest arrangers including Jerry Gray, Billy May and Bill Finegan.

Back in the big band era of the 1940's, any dance band worth its salt had a distinctive signature tune. The theme of the Glenn Miller Orchestra was and remains, Moonlight Serenade. Interestingly though, Glenn Miller originally wrote the music of the song as an exercise for a music arranging course. He composed it long before he had organised his orchestra and today Moonlight Serenade is considered a standard in the field of popular music. Its popularity as an instrumental continues undiminished.