Entertainment News

Erica Silver, a music teacher with the Allentown School District, is the youth chorale's newest conductor and Alaina Swartz is the new director of education and community engagement.

It's still more than a month before the 37th annual Celtic Classic takes over downtown with kilts and kegs, but contests for the festival that celebrates all things Irish, Scottish and Welsh already are starting.

Diana Ross, who with The Supremes had a dozen No. 1 hits in the 1960s, then a half dozen more as a solo artist in the 1970s and ’80s, will perform at the center at 8 p.m. Oct. 18.

ArtsQuest, in partnership with Trans-Bridge Lines and Penn State University, on Monday announced a new satellite parking lot will be established at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

The opening night (the fest continues 2-11 p.m. today) offered New York gospel-blues trio The Harlem Gospel Travelers as headliners, and they offered an enthusiastic set. But it was some of the supporting acts that elevated the experience.

It's been two weeks since rock band Heart canceled its opening-night headline concert at Allentown Fair, and it looks like the fair is set to announce a replacement.

Over 80 comics signed up for the first round of a new competition at the Emmaus Theatre that looks to seek the funniest in the Lehigh Valley.

For the first time, the two-day festival will feature a barbecue competition, along with 11 blues performers. It will take place Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 at SteelStacks.

Through this month, the symphony is offering a 10% discount on tickets to its popular Holiday Pops concert on Dec. 21 and Repertory Dance Theatre's "Nutcracker" on Dec. 7-8, both at Miller Symphony Hall at 23 S. 6th St., Allentown.

Michael W. Smith, who has won three Grammy Awards and 45 Dove Awards and has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21.

Chris Nee’s Comedy to Break the Stigma will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Civic Theatre of Allentown, 527 N. 19th St.

The sale, which will be offered in person only, will be noon to 1 p.m. for ArtsQuest Circle donors and ArtsQuest members. It will open to the general public from 2-5 p.m.

ArtsQuest's annual TacoFest is returning again this year. It will take place from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 2, on the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem.

Visitors can sample a wide variety of local craft brews while enjoying barbecue and a Grateful Dead tribute band this 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Samples are included in ticket prices: $40 in advance; $45 at the entrance.

The gala includes drinks, music, seated dinner, behind the scenes presentations and a screening of the locally produced historical film.

"The Play That Goes Wrong," will begin on Wednesday, May 29 through June 16 as part of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University. The season also includes productions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Winnie the Pooh and Friends," and "The Color Purple."

The former Revolutions in Saucon Valley Square Shopping Center on Route 378 this summer will become B Social indoor entertainment center, which seeks to “provide guests with a unique, multifaceted experience,” the company said.

Executive Chef Anthony Distefano said the change was “really a ‘culinary momentum’ shift as opposed to a ‘rebranding of the Grille.’”

After helping to secure the first collective bargaining agreement for Minor League Baseball players, catcher William Simoneit is hoping to earn a promotion to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season.

Godfrey Daniels, the venerable folk music club in South Bethlehem, will offer its first headline comedy show in its 48-year history at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 30, according to organizers of the just-announced show.

The annual festival at Cedar Crest College drew people from across the region over the weekend with its array of artists and craftspeople — plus its fun, laid-back atmosphere, attendees and vendors said.

The Jeff Parks Founders Society was inaugurated last week with a ribbon-cutting for a permanent display on the exterior of the ArtsQuest Center, to the right of the entrance, that will honor Parks and donors by creating a collage around the current year’s official Musikfest poster.