Big Band Night & Fireworks at CBMM

In celebration of Independence Day, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. welcomes The Shades of Blue Orchestra for a live performance at its Saturday, June 30 Big Band Night. The St. Michaels fireworks are scheduled to launch after dusk that evening, with CBMM’s waterfront campus a great venue from which guests can enjoy the fireworks. The rain date for the concert and fireworks is Sunday, July 1.

Two vocalists will join the 18-piece Shades of Blue Orchestra as they perform from the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand. The orchestra first played at CBMM’s 2014 Big Band Night, with numerous requests from patrons for return engagements.

The orchestra is set to begin at 7:00 p.m., with the public invited to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets for an evening of music, dancing, and fireworks along the Miles River.

Food, ice cream, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase during the event.

Mixing together popular standards, a variety of musical styles, and dance-able rhythms, the Shades of Blue Orchestracombines brass, woodwind, and rhythm instruments to bring music from the 1930s to present to the Miles River. Established in 1976, this 18-piece Big Band consists of a well-balanced complement of brass, woodwind, and rhythm instruments, as well as two of the finest Big Band vocalists anywhere.

The Orchestra’s repertoire of music includes swing, rock, standard and popular ballads, Latin, retro, waltzes, and other selections. The Baltimore-based orchestra has performed at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, M&T Bank Stadium, Camden Yards, the Smithsonian Institution, Ocean City’s Sunfest, and more. Music samples and more information can be found at shades-of-blue.com.

Admission to Big Band Night is $6 for CBMM members and $10 for non-members, with children ages 5 and under free. After 8:45 p.m., admission will be reduced to $2 for those watching the fireworks only.

Proceeds benefit the children and adults served by CBMM’s education, exhibition, and restoration programs.

For safety reasons, only service dogs are allowed on CBMM’s campus during Big Band Night, and other festivals. Leashed dogs are permitted during regular operating hours. For more information, call 410-745-2916.