Keystone Big Band returns to Lock Haven’s Triangle Park
LOCK HAVEN, PA – This Friday, July 21, the Keystone Big Band will be returning to Triangle Park in Lock Haven, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Keystone Big Band, formerly the Keystone Society of Swing, is a group of serious musicians playing for the joy of recreating the sounds of the past and present. They range in age from 18 to 80 and their only rewards are to share their talents and have a great time.
The 18-piece Keystone Big Band has been providing Pennsylvania music lovers with the swinging sounds of the big bands since 1985. Organized in that year by drummer Bud Hallberg and guitarist Paul Mills as a means to play the classic charts of their youth with kindred musicians, the sessions with a few musicians grew to become a complement of eighteen or more musicians as word spread throughout the region. Soon requests were received to provide this swinging sound to the public. As a result, the orchestra began appearing at festivals, theaters, concerts, as well as at dances, reunions, and wedding receptions. A drop-in membership during the late 1990’s led to a reorganization of the band in the year 2000, with the addition of new members, a conductor’s position, and the expansion of the band’s repertoire.
The band has a large repertoire of music from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. The classic arrangements of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and other giants of the big band era are featured, as well as the contemporary music of today’s foremost composers and arrangers like Lenny Neihaus, Dave Bardun, and Sammy Nestico.
The band has performed throughout the state of Pennsylvania in engagements varying from charity balls in Danville, concert series in Bellefonte, Renovo and Lock Haven, as a show band in the Capital theater in Williamsport, weddings fairs, parties, fund raisers. You name it and we have probably been or will be there.
The Keystone Big Band is a not-for-profit organization, consisting of some of the finest musicians in the Centre Region who play for the pure joy of recreating the sounds of the big band era from yesteryear. These musicians come from a variety of small communities including Bellefonte, Boalsburg, Howard, Lock Haven, Pleasant Gap and State College. All of the band’s funds are used for expenses, the purchase of new music, equipment and educational purposes. The musicians themselves do not receive pay for performing with the band.
In the event of rain, the concert will be held at the East Campus Gymnasium, 320 W Main Street, Lock Haven.
The 2023 City of Lock Haven’s Summer Concert Series is sponsored by Bear Country Radio WQBR, Lock Haven Express, The Record, Clinton County, Clinton County Arts Council, Clinton County Community Foundation, Clinton County Economic Partnership & Visitor’s Bureau, Walmart, Avery Dennison, Avis Building Supply, Bechdel’s Plumbing and HVAC ,Bill’s Happy Camper, Dotterer Equipment Inc., First Quality, Geisinger, Hear the Birds Hearing Aid Center, Horizon Federal Credit Union, Jersey Shore State Bank, Kauffman’s Store, Kliney’s Home Furnishings, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Group, Miller’s Furniture of Mill Hall, PA Skills, Pizza City, Realtor Lisa Linn, Smith Furniture, Stoltzfus Butcher Shop, SWC Realty, Susquehanna Trailways, UPMC Lock Haven, and Wyde Excavation and Hauling.
Schedules are available at the concerts while supplies last. To learn more about the 2023 Summer Concert Series, check the City of Lock Haven’s website at www.lockhavenpa.gov. The public is invited to attend this free summer concert.
