Grand Opening of Glenn-McGinnis Hall featuring Glenn Miller Orchestra

Young Harris College is proud to welcome the Glenn Miller Orchestra to the YHC campus on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. The concert is part of a three-piece grand re-opening celebration of Glenn-McGinnis Hall, formerly known as the Glenn Auditorium, in the Clegg Fine Arts Building. Concert admission is $25 for the public, $10 for YHC faculty and staff, and $5 for YHC students. 
 
Launched in 1938 by Glenn Miller and one of the most sought after bands in the world today, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is a fully self-contained group consisting of a music director, five saxophone players, four trumpets, four trombonist, three rhythm musicians and two vocalists. Their unique sound and visually entertaining ensemble has made them one of the most sought after performing groups in the world. 
 
The legendary Glenn Miller was one of the most successful dance bandleaders during the Swing Era of the 1930s and 1940s, earning more hit records in one year than anyone in the history of the recording industry. “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” earned the first Gold Record awarded to a performing artist.
 
Miller disbanded his band in 1942 at the height of its popularity to volunteer for the Army. During this time, he organized and led the famous Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band, that entertained servicemen in Europe with numerous live and radio shows. On Dec. 15, 1944, Miller disappeared over the English Channel in a single-engine plane while traveling to France.
 
Upon the release of the film “The Glenn Miller Story” in 1954, popular demand led the estate of Miller to authorize the formation of the present-day Glenn Miller Orchestra. Today, the 18-member ensemble continues to play many of the original Miller arrangements from both the civilian and Army Air Force Band libraries.
 
The celebration of the grand re-opening of Glenn-McGinnis Hall will continue throughout the month of September with a series of special events in the newly renovated auditorium including the annual children’s theatre show “The Shoemaker and the Elves” with a free viewing to the public on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 2 p.m. The YHC Concert Band and YHC Concert Choir will present "New Beginnings,” a concert featuring a world-premiere composition in honor of Glenn-McGinnis Hall on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. Admission to “New Beginnings” is $5 for the public and free with YHC ID. 
 
Glenn Auditorium in the Charles R. Clegg Fine Arts Building on the YHC campus has recently undergone extensive renovations thanks to the generosity of YHC Board of Trustee member Richard McGinnis and his wife, Shirley. In addition to a new name, Glenn-McGinnis Hall now offers new, comfortable seating, improved sound and acoustics for top quality musical and theatrical performances, an improved HVAC system to minimize noise, enhanced lighting, and a catwalk. 
 
Alumni and friends of the College were invited to leave their mark on the new auditorium and allow students and the community to benefit from quality programming in a state-of-the-art environment by naming a seat. 
 
Pre-sale tickets can be purchased now for each of the events at yhc.edu/glennmcginnis. To learn more about Glenn-McGinnis Hall including information on how to name a seat, call the YHC Office of Advancement at (706) 379-5173.