The Tar River Swing Band played the Turnage Theater out at the theater’s last performance before its doors closed — many feared for good — in December 2011. Now the band is back to celebrate the theater’s reopening under its new ownership, the Beaufort County Arts Council.

The band will take the stage Friday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 for general admission.

“The Best of Broadway and Hollywood” will feature music from Johnny Mercer to Steven Sondheim, including “April in Paris,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Ol’ Man River,” and “Send in the Clowns,” to name a few selections.

“We’re very excited to bring back the Tar River Swing Band to the Turnage, as a reminder to the public that the lights are back on in the theater,” said Joey Toler, executive director of the Beaufort County Arts Council.

Tar River Swing Band is an 18-piece band with four big-band style vocalists. The band performs under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Wacker, director of Percussion studies at East Carolina University. Wacker has filled the drum set chair for the Swing Band for five years and the director’s chair for three. He also performs with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra, in addition to various jazz and chamber groups across Eastern North Carolina. Wacker brings world-class musicianship to the group from his prior position as resident drummer/percussionist for the MGM and Harrah’s Hotel and Casino Orchestras, and has performed or recorded with such notable artists as Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., 
Debbie Reynolds and
Rosemary Clooney.

Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling 252-946-2504 or by visiting the box office at the theater, 150 W. Main St., Washington, Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about upcoming events offered by BCAC, visit www.beaufortcountyartscouncil.org.