BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Allentown Band - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Allentown Band
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://allentownband.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Allentown Band
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260419T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260419T180000
DTSTAMP:20260419T155358
CREATED:20260110T220330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T184556Z
UID:1356-1776614400-1776621600@allentownband.com
SUMMARY:Annual Side-by-Side Concert
DESCRIPTION:With our guest conductor\, Loras Schissel\, and guest soloist Scott Shelsta\, trombone. \nFor more than twenty years\, the Allentown Band has reached thousands of students from area school districts in Lehigh and Northampton Counties with its two-pronged Education Outreach programs presented in Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall at no cost to the students or to the school districts.  In the Fall of each year\, the band presents Youth Concerts designed especially for students in grades 4 to 8; and in the Spring\, up to fifty select musicians in grades 9 to 12\, recommended by their band directors\, are invited to perform Side by Side with the Allentown Band in a public concert.\n\nOn Sunday\, April 19th at 4:00 pm\, fifty advanced musicians from fourteen area high schools will perform side by side with fifty members of the Allentown Band\, conducted by Ronald Demkee in a free concert at Miller Symphony Hall. Mr. Loras Schissel\, Senior Musicologist at the Library of Congress and retired conductor of the Virginia Grand Military Band will serve as Guest Conductor for part of the program and Mr. Scott Shelsta\, former Principal Trombone with the U.S. Army Band\, Pershing’s Own\, Washington\, D.C. will be the featured Guest Soloist. In celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial – 250th Anniversary Year\, the program will feature music exclusively of American composers\, including John Williams\, Morton Gould\, Arthur Pryor\, Leonard Bernstein\, Richard Rogers\, and John Philip Sousa.\n\n\n\n \nLoras Schissel\, guest conductor \n \nScott Shelsta\, guest artist \n\nLoras John Schissel has served as conductor of the Blossom Festival Band since 1998.  He also regularly conducts the Blossom Festival Orchestra. He is founder and music director of the Arlington-based Virginia Grand Military Band\, an ensemble comprised of current and former members of the four U.S. service bands. \n\nTurn of the century Americana trombonist Scott Shelsta has entertained people from all walks of life. As the trombone soloist for “Pershing’s Own” The United States Army Band\, Scott has performed for all US Presidents from former President Richard Nixon to President George W. Bush\, as well as several Foreign Heads of State and Dignitaries. One highlight of his Military Career was playing for the Interment of the Vietnam Unknown Soldier. \nScott’s forte as a trombone Solo artist features the Turn of the Century style playing. These solos are extremely demanding and seldom heard in public. The artist must obtain a careful balance between strength and flexibility which is the age-old problem of brass players everywhere. Arthur Pryor’s Blue Bells of Scotland and Air Varie are considered trombone technical showpieces. Pryor was a noted soloist for the Sousa Band prior to becoming leader and soloist of his own highly successful concert band. \nMore on the Miller Symphony Hall calendar of events. \n  \n\nProgram \nPart 1- Allentown Band \nLiberty Fanfare / John Williams\nSymphony for Band (West Point) Movement 2 “Marches” / Morton Gould\nRonald Demkee\, Conducting \nAir Vari / Arthur Pryor\, arr. Scott Shelsta\nScott Shelsta\, Trombone \nAmerican Pageant / Thomas Knox\nU.S. Field Artillery March / John Philip Sousa\, edited by Loras Schissel\nLoras Schissel\, Conducting \nIntermission \nPart 2- Combined with Students \nSesquicentennial Exposition March (1926) / . John Philip Sousa\nA Bernstein Tribute / Clare Grundman\nRonald Demkee\, Conducting \nStar Dust / Hoagy Carmichael\, arr. Scott Shelsta\nScott Shelsta\, Trombone \nVictory at Sea / Richard Rodgers\, arr. Robert Russell Bennett\nStars and Stripes Forever / John Philip Sousa\nLoras Schissel\, Conducting \n  \n\nThis concert is a free \, non-ticketed event!
URL:https://allentownband.com/event/annual-side-by-side-concert/
LOCATION:Miller Symphony Hall\, 23 N. Sixth Street\, Allentown\, PA\, 18101\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://allentownband.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Event-Featured-Image-Side-by-Side.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR