Sammy Kaye Orchestra returns to Shenandoah

Sammy Kaye Orchestra returns to Shenandoah

The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival is pleased to announce the Sammy Kaye Orchestra will return to open its 39th season. The Sammy Kaye Orchestra—a tremendous hit with Festival patrons in 1999—will perform on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. in the pavilion of the historic Orkney Springs Hotel, in Orkney Springs, Virginia.

The orchestra lives up to the traditions of the Big Band era with sixteen musicians, including two vocalists, rendering selections from 50 years of Sammy Kaye Orchestra hits, as well as paying tribute to Sammy Kaye friends Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.

Director Roger Thorpe, recently inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame, was a three-time winner on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour at age 14, and played trumpet with many of the Big Bands before becoming a college professor. Thorpe met Sammy Kaye in 1972, and they developed a close relationship, with Kay the “Maestro” confidently passing on the leadership of his Swing and Sway Orchestra to Roger Thorpe.

“We’re excited about Sammy Kaye’s return,” remarks Dennis Lynch, executive director of the Music Festival. “We’re just thrilled that a big-name band like the Sammy Kaye Orchestra is kicking off our summer season.”

The Sammy Kaye concert will be the first of nine summer concerts. The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra will perform July 20-21 and July 27-28. The symphony weekends include arts and crafts shows and family programs. Jazz weekend will be August 10-11, and Labor Day weekend includes a Folk Festival on September 1 and a Big Band finale on September 2.

To order tickets for the Sammy Kaye Orchestra, call (800) 459-3396 or 459-3396 locally. Pavilion and lawn seating is available. Tickets range from $14-$21. Group rates and discount ticket packages are available.