The Lehighton Band, under the direction of Paul Smith, kicked off its 2013 season with a free concert held in the Lehighton Area Middle School auditorium.

Selections included marches, Broadway tunes, folk songs, and even hits from Frank Sinatra.Featured soloists were Laurel Seamiller, a Palmerton Area High School senior, and Jo deForest, a Lehighton Area High School senior.Both students play the French horn and were impressive during their duet. Their selection was "The Mermaids."Several medleys were included in the concert.One was "American Flourish," which contained the songs "Yankee Doodle," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," and "Shenandoah.""The Blue and Grey (Civil War Suite)" included "Kingdom Coming," Tenting Tonight," "The Yellow Rose of Texas," "Dixie," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," among others.Smith said The Blue and Grey was included in the concert since 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.The Sinatra medley consisted of "Come Fly With Me," "Witchcraft," "That's Life," and "Fly Me to the Moon."There were selections from "Les Miserables" including "At the End of the Day," "I Dreamed A Dream," "Master of the House," and "Do You Hear the People Cry?"Marches are a staple of the Lehighton Band and among them in the program were "Totem Pole Concert March," "Emblem of Unity March," and"Band Pioneer March."Other selections included "Matador," "Raymond Overture (The Queen's Secret)," and "The Magnificent Seven."The narrator for the concert was Brad Cressley.The Lehighton Band has numerous outdoor concerts planned this summer, including one at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, in the Weissport Park.Concerts will be held in the Lehighton Park Amphitheater on June 13, July 11, and August 15, with all the shows set to begin at 8 p.m.