The Lehighton Boys and Girls Band Alumni Association will present their inaugural events, virtual Christmas concerts aired online throughout the holiday season. These festive broadcasts will provide musical experiences that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home.

Since the cancellation of the Boys and Girls Band’s 110th Anniversary Concert, due to the ongoing pandemic, a new alumni association has formed and assembled these virtual musical events. Members decided there was no better way to utilize the training provided by the band than by contributing music to the community during this trying time.

The concert will feature performances from Boys and Girls Band alumni, including former students, directors, instructors and board members. The mixed ensembles consist of community musicians, music educators and other music professionals.

Leroy Anderson’s Christmas favorites, “Sleigh Ride” and “A Christmas Festival,” will be performed. Boys and Girls Band Director Alyssa Schoch will also be featured in a flute solo, “O Holy Night,” composed by Adolphe Charles Adam and arranged by Lois Paton. Other alumni contributed small ensemble works, including duets, a saxophone quartet, and a brass quintet, both secular and sacred classics, such as works featured in the world famous Canadian Brass Christmas Album. Original composing/arranging will also be presented.

Also featured, Lehighton history teacher and Carbon County historian Ronald Rabenold will deliver a brief presentation on the history of the Boys and Girls Band, its notable alumni, and the area’s rich musical legacy.

The virtual concert will broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube on five nights throughout the holiday season:

• Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 22 at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 24 at 9 p.m.

The concert can be viewed in two ways:

• Visit http://www.facebook.com/lbgbalumni

• Search #lbgbalumni on YouTube, during the broadcasts.

Due to copyright law, the concert will only be available during the pre-scheduled broadcasts, but the Alumni Association has scheduled enough presentations that most interested viewers won’t miss out.

Donations will be accepted during the concert. All donations will benefit the Boys and Girls Band’s official nonprofit mission of providing low cost musical instruction to area youth. The relevant donation link will be attached to the concert broadcasts.

The Lehighton Boys and Girls Band Alumni Association aims to support Boys and Girls Band Director Alyssa Schoch in her strong leadership of this area gem. “Ms. Schoch is doing a stellar job adapting the program to these pandemic conditions,” says Alumni Concert Coordinator Peter Petrack. “She’s learned the state government guidelines and received their authorization. She’s adapted her lesson space for social distancing. She’s developed a Zoom lesson program. Ms. Schoch works incredibly hard to maintain a safe learning environment for her students.”

The Boys and Girls Band, while based in Lehighton, educates children from throughout the region, especially now that the Zoom remote lesson program is in full swing. The band has a collection of over 130 instruments, many donated by alumni, that can be loaned to students. Many of these instruments, heirlooms of the band’s history, are stored in a moisture-controlled storage room, designed by Eagle Scout and band alum Ryan Fatzinger.

Founded in 1910 as the Engine Company No. 2 Band, before being renamed the Boys Band in 1911, the group was incorporated as a Pennsylvania nonprofit in 1914. The band admitted girls and was renamed The Lehighton Boys and Girls Band in 1981. It received 501(c)3 nonprofit designation in 2008. The band offers low-cost music instruction by accredited teachers on all band instruments and piano. No child is turned away because of need. Scholarships are available. Lessons and activities are offered at their building at 197 N. Sixth St., Lehighton.

During the organization’s more than 100-year history, the band withstood the Spanish Flu pandemic, both World Wars, the Great Depression, and a century’s worth of societal and artistic challenges. With the support of music lovers throughout the region, The Boys and Girls Band Alumni Association hopes to ensure that future generations receive the same quality education they did. Artistic education has never been so important for young people, with the pandemic still in full effect as the holidays approach.

The Lehighton Boys and Girls Band Alumni Association also invites any former Boys Band or Boys and Girls Band member or director, whether you still play an instrument or not, to join the alumni Facebook group, share your memories, reminisce about your experiences, or get involved with future alumni events. A public alumni page is also available for all music lovers (also the site of the live concert broadcasts).

Messages can be sent through Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lbgbalumni or lbgbalumni@gmail.com.