arts & entertainment

Get ready for a concert worthy of one of the greatest icons of modern music history, when Andrew Cleaver and the Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra present In the Mood: A Glenn Miller Celebrationon Sunday afternoon, June 22 at 3:00 PM at the Emerson Center, 1590 27th Avenue in Vero Beach, 32960. The summertime program will feature music from the bandleader of the late 1930s and 1940s who galvanized audiences with his signature “Glenn Miller sound” –a unique style that featured clarinet-driven melodies, tight harmonies and a swinging rhythm section.

During In the Mood, bandleader and saxophonist Andrew Cleaver will lead Florida’s finest jazz musicians in the performance of iconic Miller works such as “Moonlight Serenade,” “American Patrol,” “Little Brown Jug,” “At Last” and, of course, “In the Mood.” In addition, the audience will hear Hungarian clarinetist, Joe Fritz on several numbers. Heavily influenced by the style of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman, Fritz arrived in the USA only one year ago and has taken the Orlando jazz scene by storm. Considered the foremost jazz clarinetist in Hungary, Fritz is ranked among the top 30 players in the world. Tickets for In the Mood are $35 in advance for adults, available through the orchestra website at SpaceCoastSymphony.org or at Marine Bank & Trust, beachside and mainland branches. Tickets at the door are $40. In the Mood is free for those aged 18 and under or with a student ID. For more information, call 855-252-7276 or visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org. 

Arguably the most popular bandleader of the Big Band era, Miller was the music symbol of a generation—the equivalent of a pop superstar with dozens of hit songs. In the span of four years, Miller launched 23 number one songs – more than Elvis or The Beatles.

Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra Conductor, Andrew Cleaver is no stranger to jazz and the music of Glenn Miller. While in the United States Air Force, the bandleader toured extensively as the lead saxophonist for the Air Force’s Glenn Miller Band in Europe, before performing and recording with the prestigious Airmen of Note jazz. For In the Mood, he has assembled a cadre of jazz musicians of the highest caliber.

“The audience will hear that authentic, recognizable Glenn Miller style from the Big Band era,” said Cleaver. “Several of the band members have toured with the modern Glenn Miller Orchestra. Of course, we’ll again be featuring Mr. Joe Fritz – the fabulous clarinetist whose sound will make you believe you’re back in the 1940s!”

Concertgoers aged 18 and under or with a college ID are admitted free to every SCSO concert. For more information about the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra and Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra 2025-26 Season, please visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org or call (855) 252-7276.