HURON — The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, under the direction of Nick Hilscher, singer/director, will take the stage at the Huron High School Auditorium on April 9 at 8 p.m. (note time change for this concert). It is the third of four concerts sponsored by the Huron Area Concert Association.
Alton Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa, in 1904. Several years later, he got his musical start when his father brought home a mandolin. Miller promptly traded it for an old battered horn which he practiced every chance he got.
As his career grew, he played and recorded with the likes of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa and others. In 1935 Miller recorded for the first time, under his own name, and formed his band in 1937. The following year he formed the second Glenn Miller Orchestra, and they began breaking records all up and down the East Coast. His band was set apart from all the rest when he developed his unique sound. It was produced by the clarinet holding the melody line while the tenor sax played the same note and three other saxophones supported them harmonically.
The legendary Glenn Miller was one of the most successful of all dance band-leaders back in the Swing Era of the 1930s and ’40s. Songs like “Tuxedo Junction,” “Moonlight Serenade” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo” featuring the Modernaires were just some of the record-breaking recordings.

In the fall of 1942, Miller disbanded his orchestra and joined the Army Air Corps where he ultimately organized the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. In late 1943 he and the band were shipped out to England. While there, they made over 800 performances in less than a year. In the fall of 1944 the band was scheduled to be sent on a six-week tour of Europe and would be stationed in Paris during that time. In December of 1944, Major Miller boarded a transport plane to Paris to make advance arrangements for his band, but the plane crashed over the English Channel and he was never seen again.
With the release of the major motion picture, The Glenn Miller Story, featuring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in 1954, interest and popular demand led to the Miller Estate authorizing the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra. On June 6, 1956, under the direction of drummer Ray McKinley, the reformed Glenn Miller Orchestra performed its first concert and it has been on the road ever since.
The fourth and final Huron Area Concert Association concert will be presented on Thursday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. Derik Nelson and Family will provide a concert experience like no other. With pristine sound, a state of the art light show, and an integrated 20-foot video display, siblings Derik, Riana and Dalten will mesmerize their audience from the opening to the dazzling finish!
The Huron Area Concert Association also announces the 2018-2019 Season. Concerts include Brassfire, a virtuoso trumpet on Sept. 11; Todd Green, instrumentalist on Oct. 13; Tapestry — a tribute to Carole King on Nov. 10; The Jersey Tenors — a Rock and Opera male quartet on March 7, 2019; and Sons of Serendip — a Contemporary Music male quartet on April 7, 2019.
The 2018-2019 Season Memberships will be on sale at both the April 9 and May 3 concerts. Admission to the concerts is by season memberships only. After the final concert, prices will increase
For those interested in earning a ticket, contact Emma Tschetter at 352-7661.