The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra will kick off the 2008 concert season for the Northport Community Arts Center on May 5.

Led by internationally-known band leader Buddy Morrow, one of the world’s all-time great trombone players and a featured performer with the great bands of the Big Band era, the orchestra retains the authentic sound and style of the late Tommy Dorsey, but is flexible enough to incorporate other music into their repertoire. Concert goers will enjoy original Dorsey classics as well as popular music from Dixieland and rhythm and blues.

Tickets for this special performance are just $25 and can be ordered by calling the NCAC at 386-5001.

This is the first of 10 performances, including eight concert and two musicals planned by the Northport Community Arts Center from May to December 2008.

The NCAC will be the site of the “Battle of the Bands” on Sunday, May 18. The 8 p.m. concert features three outstanding high school jazz bands: Elk Rapids, Kingsley and Suttons Bay.

Bill Sears, Interlochen’s director of jazz studies and saxophone, will critique the bands in the afternoon. Later that evening, the bands will perform with Sears as the featured soloist.

One of the great sell-outs in the NCAC history returns June 21 when The Chenille Sisters come to town. These singers exploded on the music scene in 1985 as single artists doing their own thing and discovered that their voices complement one another. Since that time they, crisscrossed the country performing at festivals, pavilions, auditoriums and have croon for NPR on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and All Things Considered.

Saturday, July 5, the Juggernaut Jug Band from Louisville, Ky. will perform everything from vaudeville to Nat King Cole on jug and washboard, snare drum, trumpet and electric guitar. Two weeks later, the Dave Bennett Quartet will perform on July 19. Reminiscent of Benny Goodman, Bennett’s knowledge of Goodman’s recordings and his wire-rim glasses, spats and double breasted suits transport concert goers back in time to the swing era.

One of the world’s favorite musicals, West Side Story, comes to the NCAC for eight performances July 24 through Aug. 3. Theatre North of Traverse City will perform the musical in its entirety with the best singers and dancers in this challenging. Eight p.m. performances are set for July 24, 25, 26, 31 as well as Aug. 1 and 2. Matinees, at 3 p.m., are set for July 27 and Aug. 3.

Ken Bloomquist will conduct Northport’s Sousa Band, Aug. 30 and 31. One Sousa concert proved not to be enough, so two performances of the annual favorite are scheduled to accommodate an overflow crowd. There will be guest artists on stage and surprises are in store for the fourth year of the Sousa concert . The curtain will rise at 8 p.m., Aug. 30; and 3 p.m., the following day.

Pianist Kevin Cole will present a fall color concert Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. Cole, known
for his interpretation of Gershwin tunes, has performed for sold-out crowds with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, the BBC Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall, the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and many others.

History will be made in the month of November with the presentation of a new musical by composer and musician, Kirby Shaw. $croogical is based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the well-known story about Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Marley and others. The Northport Theatre Company’s performances are set for 8 p.m., Nov. 7, 8, 14, and 15 as well as 3 p.m., Nov. 9 and 16.

The annual Christmas Concert, a traditional sell-out, is scheduled for Dec. 13 and 14. Local artists The Village Voices and Northport Community Band conducted by Ann and Ken Bloomquist are sure to entertain at 8 p.m., Dec. 13 and 3 p.m., Dec. 14.

Reserve seating for all 10 shows are available to season ticket holders. There are also flex books available for eight to the 10 show.

Further information is available by calling 386-5001 or online at www.northportcac.org.