Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s Season Finale Renews Rock Collaboration Five Years in the Making
Johnstown, April 29th, 2024 – A sold out crowd packed JWF Industries in 2019 for the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s Queen Concert, and the Symphony is looking to repeat history with its upcoming season finale.
On May 18th at 7:30pm, the JSO will reunite with rock symphony band Jeans ‘n Classics to play the classic hits of Sting and The Police at the 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial.
“It was great to see and hear the JSO and Chorus performing the iconic hits of Freddie Mercury and Queen in 2019, especially to a packed house at JWF with an eclectic audience,” said Michael Bodolosky, Adjunct Professor of Music at University of Pittsburgh Johnstown and board member for the JSO. “That concert was great for the JSO and Johnstown in general.”
Building from the success of its Mill Concert Series, the JSO will perform for the largest capacity audience in its history at the 1st Summit Arena on May 18th.
“We started our Mill Concert Series in 2017 at the Cambria Iron Works Machine Shop, and then performed at two active mills: GapVax in 2018, and JWF in 2019,” said James Blachly, Music Director for the JSO. “This concert at the 1st Summit Arena at the War Memorial is a direct result of the wild success of those three concerts, and our concert at the airport. Just like the Queen concert at JWF, we have Jeans ‘n Classics coming in to be the rock band, and the JSO will share the stage with them. But this time, we have an even bigger venue, and we hope to fill the place to the rafters with JSO fans and Police and Sting fans, and everyone who loves great music and a party atmosphere. We are so excited to bring our community this massive concert-the biggest we’ve ever put on as an orchestra, to celebrate the end of our 95th year.”
Classical music will fuse with the energy of rock, bringing the hits of Sting and The Police to life in a unique symphonic setting.
“How many classical orchestras venture into pops, or even rock? The JSO is on the cutting edge to combine an orchestra with a group such as Jeans ‘n Classics, presenting the covers of iconic groups like The Police and Sting,” said Bodolosky. “These songs are timeless and trigger so many great memories. If you were around and into the music during the seventies and eighties, you won’t want to miss this one-time performance.”
Tickets for this performance are available for purchase through Ticketmaster at johnstownsymphony.org and 1stsummitarena.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the 1st Summit Arena Box office.
The JSO extends a special thank you to 1st Summit Bank for being BOTH a Concert AND Leadership Sponsor to make this event possible.
In addition, the JSO extends deep gratitude to their Concert Sponsors for support of this event: Mr. Ross Russo, JWF Industries, Croyle-Nielsen Therapeutic Associates, and an anonymous donor.
And finally, the JSO recognizes their generous Leadership Sponsors for their support of the entire 95th season: 1st Summit Bank, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, Crown American Associates, AmeriServ, and Somerset Trust Company.
For press inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact: Erin Codey, Executive Director, 814-535-6738