On Sunday, April 28, the Lehighton Band will begin its 149th season by presenting its annual Spring Concert in the auditorium of the Lehighton Area Middle School on Beaver Run Road in Lehighton.

The free concert will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will feature two high school seniors playing a French Horn duet.Paul R. Smith, conductor of the band, has selected a varied program ranging from music of the Romantic Period up to selections from the recent movie, "Les Miserables."Featured soloists will be Laurel Seamiller and Jo deForest playing the French Horn duet, "The Mermaids."Seamiller is a senior at Palmerton High School and has been selected to participate in the PMEA District Band for two years, Regional Band and District Orchestra. In addition, she was chosen for District, Regional and most recently, All State Chorus. She is also a member of the Palmerton Community Band.DeForest, a senior at Lehighton High School, just moved into the area about a year ago and didn't have the opportunity to participate in the PMEA events until this year. She was selected to play in the District Band and is a member of the Young People's Philharmonic Orchestra based in Bethlehem. She was also selected to the district orchestra and district band.Smith said, "Both these young ladies do a phenominal job on a very difficult instrument. It is very difficult to find duets for French Horn and there is nothing on the market at present. 'The Mermaids' was found in the library of the Lehighton Band and has worked out very well for Laurel and Jo."The concert will open with the spirited march by J. J. Richards, "Emblem Of Unity" followed by Ralph Vaughn Williams "Folk Song Suite."Also in the serious concert genre will be overture "Raymond" by Ambrose Thomas.In remembrance of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the band will play several patriotic tunes including Robert Smith's "American Flourish," Clare Grundman's "Blue And Gray" and "Rushmore" by Alfred Reed.On the lighter side, the band will play "Sinatra," a medley of tunes made famous by Frank Sinatra and as mentioned before, selections from "Les Miserables."No Lehighton Band concert would be complete without several snappy marches. Today's concert will feature "Band Pioneer March" and "Totem Pole March."This concert is being sponsored by the Jim Thorpe National Bank as well as donations from businesses, professional people and music lovers from throughout the region.Although the concert is free, a free-will offering will be taken to help defray expenses.