About Us
The Moonlight Swing Living History Big Band was established in 1996 in Auburn California as a non-profit historical organization whose chartered mission is to keep the memory and music of Glenn Miller and the Great Big Band Era alive for all to enjoy. The majority of our charts have been arranged from either original 78s and V-discs from World War II, charts that have been donated from original artists or from our in house arrangers.
FAQs
Q: Do you play any other genre of music besides swing?
A: Yes, while the majority of our music selections are swing charts from the 30s and 40s, we do have some waltzes and Latin songs in our book.
Q: A 19 member band is quite large, do you have a smaller version for smaller events?
A: Unfortunately we do not. All of our arrangements are arranged for a full big band of the 1930s- 1940s, which generally was 15 people or larger. At our largest we have had close to 30 people in our band, when we had a string section!
Q: Are there any restrictions on where you will perform?
A: We are fairly flexible about locations - we’ve played both inside and outside venues. As a large band, we usually need a performance space of about 24 feet by 24 feet to set up chairs, music stands and sound equipment. We also need access to power sources for our rhythm section and sound equipment. If we are performing outside, we will need a location that is fairly level and solid for our sound equipment.
Q: How far is the band willing to travel for an event ?
A. That depends on the event and the entertainment budget of the client. If the event is within 50 square miles of Sacramento, there is no additional charge. Beyond that, there are extra fees to compensate our members for travel expenses.
Q: If there is a specific song that I would like you to perform for my event, can you play it?
A: Yes, if the song is already in our chartbook or if it is commercially available. For charts that are not in our playbook, we will need extra lead time to track down a suitable arrangement and rehearse it.
Q: I would like to sing a song with the band for my event, can I do that?
A: Yes, if the song is already in our chartbook or if it is commercially available. We would suggest that you arrange some time to come and rehearse with us. Performing with a live band is very different than singing with a recording.
Q: How do I become a member of Moonlight Swing?
A. Most of our current musicians started as substitutes for another member. When an opening is available, we generally ask our substitutes if they would like to become a regular performing member. If you would like to be on our substitute musician list, please call our director Mark Toffelmier at (916) 672-1043 and leave your contact information as well as your specific instrument(s) information.
Notable Performances
We have played a wide variety of venues since 1996, as intimate as a backyard wedding anniversary to as large as playing for the late Bob Hope at the Stockton Air Show in front of thousands of people. Below is a partial list of our past performance highlights. This list does not show our entire performance history, merely our most memorable and notable shows). If you’re interested in hearing Moonlight Swing in person, check our Events page for our next performance.
.1996
First Performance- Dewitt Senior Center,Auburn, CA
Swing Concert- Colfax Theater Colfax, CA
1997
Swing Dance Auburn, CA
Concert with Radio Broadcast, Colfax Theater, Colfax, CA
Fleet Week Cruise- USS Jeremiah O'Brien, San Francisco, CA
New Year's Eve Dance- Grand Island Inn Isleton, CA
1998
"Wings Over Stockton" air show (Bob and Dolores Hope in attendance) Stockton, CA
Sock Hop Dance- Foothill High School,North Highlands, CA
The 1st annual GWAA/EAA Fly-In, Castle Airport,Atwater, CA
New Years Eve Dance- Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts,Walnut Creek, CA
1999
Lake of the Pines Winter Ball Auburn, CA
The Carson-Tahoe Hospital Foundation 50th Anniversary Celebration, Ormsby House Carson City, NV
Swing Concert Woodland Opera House Woodland, CA
Grand Re-Opening Holiday Inn NE Sacramento, CA
Swing Concert Varsity Theatre Davis, CA
75th Anniversary Celebration of United Way Swing Dance Sacramento Convention Center Sacramento, CA
City of Auburn, Sesquicentennial Dance Auburn, CA
Swing Concert, Crest Theater,Sacramento, CA
Grass Valley Airfest Dance Grass Valley, CA
The 2nd annual GWAA/EAA Fly-In, Castle Airport Atwater, CA
Private Concert- Flamingo Hilton Reno, CA
New Years Eve Dance- Mark Hopkins Hotel San Francisco, CA
2000
Private Concert, Sacramento Convention Center Sacramento, CA
Swing Concert, Lodi Performing Arts Center Lodi, CA
Swing Dance- Gold Country Fairgrounds Auburn, CA
Concert- Magic Circle Theater Roseville, CA
4th of July Concert Ojai Music Festival Ojai, CA.
Rascals in Paradise Dance Homewood Lake Tahoe, CA
Sesquicentennial Celebration Concert Sacramento, CA
Club McClellan New Years Eve Dance, McClellan AFB McClellan, CA
2001
Swing for the Symphony Dance, Gold Country Fairgrounds Auburn, CA
Nevada County Black and White Ball Nevada City, CA
Squaw Creek Dance Squaw Creek, CA
Grass Valley Airfest Dance Grass Valley, CA
Private Dance Lake Tahoe, CA Truckee-Tahoe Airport's "Air Affair 2001"Truckee, CA
Veteran's Day Concert, Sun City Roseville, Roseville, CA
Christmas Concert- Magic Circle Theater, Roseville CA
2002
Swing for the Symphony Dance Auburn, CA
I Sustain the Wings Concert- Lodi Performing Arts Center, Lodi, CA
Chino "Planes of Fame" Hangar Dance- , a fund-raiser for the restoration of the B-17 "Picadilly Lilly II". Chino, CA
Constitution Day- Concert and Dance Nevada City, CA
Private Corporate Dance, Western Aerospace Museum Oakland CA
Embassy Suites Grand Opening Sacramento. CA
Jimmy Doolittle's Raider Reunion Concert Fairfield, CA
Wedding Reception- Grand Island Mansion Isleton, CA
4th of July Celebration Concert, Sun City Roseville, Roseville, CA
Constitution Day Dance Nevada City, CA
2004
Thunder in the Sky Dinner Dance Auburn CA
Private Dance, Pine Mountain Lake Groveland, CA
Private Dance- Jackson Rancheria Casino Jackson, CA
Salute to the Armed Forces Dance Palmdale, CA
Concert- Rocklin Jubilee Rocklin, CA
2005
Lauren Shane Benefit Concert- Rancho Cordova, CA
Salute to the Armed Forces Dance (Tuskegee Airmen in attendance) Palmdale CA
Private Dance, Nevada County Fairgrounds Grass Valley, CA
July 4th Concert- Sun City Lincoln Hills Lincoln, CA
2006
Auction and Wine Fair- Placerville Kwanis Placerville, CA
Private Dance- 75th Anniversary Beta Sigma Phi Sorority Sacramento, CA
2007
Auction and Wine Fair- Placerville Kiwanis, Placerville, CA
Dinner Dance- Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church Mariner's Fleet.Fair Oaks, CA
Dinner Dance- Fundraiser for the McClellan Aerospace Museum.Sacramento, CA
Sacramento Traditional Jazz Jubilee - Sacramento, CA
Concert- Sacramento Zoo Sacramento, CA
Dinner Dance- Nevada County Air Fest Grass Valley, CA
2008
Dinner Dance - Rancho Murieta, CA
Sacramento Traditional Jazz Jubilee - Sacramento, CA
Private Dance- Wedding, Arden Hills Country Club Sacramento, CA
Concert on the Green - Los Gatos, CA
Anniversary Party- Sun City, Lincoln Hills Lincoln, CA
2009
Sister Swing's 10th Anniversary Concert- Magic Circle Theater - Roseville, CA
Concert- Vacaville Performing Arts Center - Vacaville, CA
Dance- National Down Syndrome Fundraiser - Auburn, CA
Concert on the Green- Paradise Valley Estates - Fairfield, CA
2010
Air Rescue Association Reunion - Sacramento, CA
Dragon Lady Association - Sacramento, CA
Pearls for a Cause" -Civic Theater West Benefit Roseville, CA
Auburn Faith Hospital Foundation - Auburn, CA
2012
Fair Oaks Village Park, Free Open Air Concert - Fair Oaks, CA
2013
Sun City Roseville "Spirit Days" - Roseville, CA
Hanger Party and Dinner Dance - Alpine Aviation Hanger Nevada City, CA
2015
Jazz Society's Jazz Sunday - Sacramento, CA
2016
Benefit for Wounded Warrior Project - Fair Oaks, CA
Hot Jazz Jubilee - Sacramento, CA
2016 Nut Tree Air Fair Dinner Dance - Jimmy Doolittle Center Vacaville, CA
2018
Fair Oaks Village Park, Free Open Air Concert Fair Oaks, CA
Trailerfest Vintage Camper Trailers Rally, Plymouth, CA
New Years Eve Fundraiser for the Placer County Youth Orchestra, Loomis, CA
2019
Colonel “Bud” Anderson’s 97th Birthday Party - Sacramento Air Museum, Sacramento CA
Hot Jazz Jubilee - Sacramento, CA
Pioneer High School Jazz Band Fundraiser Concert- Woodland, CA
Rancho Murieta Country Club’s Christmas Dance - Rancho Murieta, CA
2021
Veteran’s Day Dinner/Dance - Carmichael Elks Club, Carmichael, CA
2022
Elk Grove Plaza Concert, Elk Grove, CA
Music in the Grove, Carmichael, CA