Latest from The Allentown Band

Great News! The Allentown Band has just been selected as one of 10 finalists representing 9 states in the COMMUNITY BAND DIVISION of the 2026 national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. The American Prize: celebrating American excellence in the arts will be announcing winners in the division soon.  Congratulations to all the other 9 finalists from across America! Boulder Concert Band , Boulder, CO; All-American Concert Band, Sioux City, IA; Mystic Brass Ensemble, Arlington, MA; South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble, Egg Harbor Township, NJ; Eastern Washington Wind Symphony, Kennewick, WA; Fairmont, WV; Wichita Wind Symphony, Wichita, KS; Arizona Winds, Goodyear, AZ; Coyote Bassoon Ensemble, Goodyear, AZ. #acb Association of Concert Bands (ACB) , American Bandmasters Association

Once again, the Allentown Flag Day Association, the oldest flag day association in the country, is hosting events to celebrate Flag Day. At 12:00pm, city officials raise our Star Spangled Banner at Allentown City Hall Plaza, and at 3:00 pm, the Allentown Band performs for the association's celebration, with our guest Evelyn Stewart, soprano. The program, being presented at Christ Lutheran Church, also includes addresses by local dignitaries and school patriotic essay winner presentations.

  In a landmark collaboration for America’s Semiquincentennial, two of the Lehigh Valley’s most storied musical institutions – the Allentown Band, under the direction of Ron Demkee, and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, under the direction of Conductor Christopher Jackson, join forces for a powerful musical tribute to freedom, heritage, and service. Featuring Randall Thompson’s stirring The Testament to Freedom, inspired by the words of Thomas Jefferson and other significant American texts, the program also includes selections from Bethlehem’s Moravian musical tradition – curated by the Moravian Music Foundation – which anchor the concert in the Lehigh Valley’s own rich musical legacy. Presented outdoors at the Levitt Pavilion at SteelStacks, this program invites audiences to rejoice in the music that gives voice to the American spirit as we close out our 118th Festival. The 118th Bethlehem Bach Festival is coming this May 7-10th to Historic Downtown and SouthSide Bethlehem. This festi...

  Please note that the time of this concert has been changed to 3:30 PM . This time is reflected correctly above (this image appears in the Home Page slide show) and also in our Facebook events. At the time of writing this post (April 30, 2PM), our web hosting service is dealing with a security issue that prevents us from updating our event calendar on the web site. The event calendar still reflects the prior scheduled time. We will update the event calendar as soon as our access is restored. UPDATE: 9:00PM Our hosting service has developed a workaround for the security issue that allowed us to update the schedule.

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Jon Conrad. Jon B. Conrad, 65, of Bethlehem, devoted husband, father, musician, and human resources leader, passed away peacefully, Friday, February 27, 2026, surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous battle with interstitial lung disease related to Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Music and community service were central to who Jon was. He served on the Board of the American Red Cross for more than 20 years, as President of the Allentown Band for 19 years; (a proud member of the trombone section since 1988); and as a co-founder of the Silver & Brass Trombone Quartet, with whom he performed for 40 years . Jon's family has created a loving tribute here.

  The Allentown Band is proud to share that we've been awarded the Advancement of Music grant from The Presser Foundation!   These funds will allow us to continue preserving and advancing the heritage of concert band music by providing quality, inspiring performances and education in partnership with the community and beyond. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!