ALLENTOWN, Pa. — For the nearly two decades Eric Mintel has been playing jazz at Miller Symphony Hall, he hasn’t been able to shake an off-handed comment he heard one day — “Oh, by the way, this place is haunted.”
“I've been playing there for years, and so, that's initially what drew me to it,” said Mintel, a jazz musician and paranormal investigator.
“ … One of the other things that really drew me was the history. And I said to myself, ‘Man, it's got to have some kind of something.’”
That “something” is set to be revealed this week.
Ten months after Mintel and Dominic Sattele, a spirit medium, investigated Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., for paranormal TV show “Eric Mintel Investigates,” the episode is premiering Saturday at the hall.
In addition to the premiere, the event includes a jazz duet with Halloween-themed music, a book signing, spirit readings and a costume contest.
" ... What we captured — it was shocking. And, it was kind of like, ‘Wow. What the hell is going on?"Eric Mintel
While Mintel wouldn’t give away too much about the investigation's findings ahead of the premiere, he said there was “unbelievable evidence captured at Miller Symphony Hall that people have to see to believe.”
“I go into a lot of these investigations on the skeptical side,” Mintel said. “But, then, what we captured — it was shocking.
“And, it was kind of like, ‘Wow. What the hell is going on?’”
‘Embracing the paranormal’
The hall, a hulking building with three floors, dates to the 1800s, according to its website.
Officials last year celebrated its 125th anniversary. This year marks 75 years for the Allentown Symphony.
“It was briefly a farmers market, and it didn't work out well,” said Lori Beneyton, marketing director. “I guess the farmers didn't like paying to rent the spaces, so they stopped using it and it became a concert hall pretty early on.”
It was converted into a theater in 1899 and renamed the Lyric. However, during the Great Depression, the business struggled.
“Eventually, it was sold for $1 at one point because there was debt,” she said.
The Allentown Symphony Association purchased the building in 1959, renaming it Symphony Hall. It was renamed again in 2012, adding “Miller” to honor Sam and Donald Miller, owners of the Call-Chronicle newspaper, who helped with the 1959 purchase.
“One of the things that people always like to talk about with this building is that it has a big history with burlesque,” Beneyton said. “There was burlesque in this theater for quite a while.”
While burlesque performers like Ding Dong Bell didn’t perform alongside the orchestra, they shared the same stage, performing on different nights, she said.
“They tried to keep it very separate because they were having orchestral music as well,” she said. “And they didn't want the two to kind of collide.”
Asked about her own experiences with paranormal activity at the hall, Beneyton said she hasn't had a "big experience" in the two years she's worked there. However, other employees have reported strange activity.
“There are people who've been here longer and who have had some, I guess you would say, not major events, but who have had unusual experiences,”Lori Beneyton, director of marketing
“There are people who've been here longer and who have had some I guess you would say, not major events, but who have had unusual experiences,” she said.
LehighValleyNews.com in March visited the hall with Mintel. While there, one employee described a recurring "experience" with the elevator, during which it — or something — would seemingly anticipate the need to use it and open on its own.
“The symphony has really embraced the paranormal,” Mintel said. “Traditionally, probably — this is my opinion — but classical folks don't really like the paranormal. They want to not even deal with that.
“But here, the hall is so cool that they're embracing the paranormal and making this part of their 125th anniversary, it's just so wild. And that's why I'm so grateful to be able to do this.”
‘Paranormal history, detective work’
When setting out to investigate a property or area, Mintel said he keeps the lore from Sattele, leaving him “pretty cold” going into it.
“When he gets there — he doesn't even know half the time where we're going — but he'll get to the spot, and he'll start tuning in on something that's happened there,” Mintel said. “And, believe it or not, he goes right to those paranormal hot spots where all this stuff has happened.
“Then, suddenly, there's a whole story that starts unfolding at that location that no one knew about,” Mintel said. “Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces start going together.
“And so, it's a combination of paranormal history, detective work and then capturing what we're capturing on video.”
The pair have investigated locations associated with ghosts, UFOs, cryptids or urban myths across the Valley and the United States.
Nearby locations include the Northampton Public Library, the Water Wheel Tavern in Doylestown, Bucks County, and the Candle Shoppe of the Poconos in Pocono Township, Monroe County.
Ahead of the premiere of the 28-minute episode, there will be a 15-minute jazz set with Mintel playing piano and Dave Antonow on electric bass.
“We're just going to do some jazz, and we'll do some Halloween stuff, and we might do the Charlie Brown ‘Great Pumpkin Waltz,’” and some stuff that I've written,” Mintel said.
“I wrote a tune called “Bigfoot,” so we might be able to do that.”
After that, Mintel and Sattele will give a brief talk, including some background on the pair — like explaining how a jazz musician becomes a paranormal investigator — and the investigations they’ve completed.
Even though the topic might be seem frightening, it's a family-friendly event.
"He does it in a sort of campy, fun way. So, I think people who believe in it, like it's good for them, [and for] people who just think it's fun and kind of cool, it works for them, too."Lori Beneyton, director of marketing
"What I like about Eric is that he's really fun when he does these things — he's so enthusiastic," Beneyton said.
"He does it in a sort of campy, fun way. So, I think people who believe in it, it's good for them, [and for] people who just think it's fun and kind of cool, it works for them, too."
Mintel will be signing copies of his book, “Eric Mintel Investigates: Casebook Investigations.” Sattele is also scheduled to do spirit readings, and the pair will be judging the costume contest.
“I'm looking forward to it,” Mintel said. “It's going to be so much fun. We're going to have a blast.”
For tickets, as well as additional information, go to Miller Symphony Hall’s website.
Being Halloween season, it’s a very busy time of year for a paranormal investigator.
Mintel has been to more than a dozen libraries, both across the Valley and outside of the region, giving presentations about his work, in addition to hosting events and speaking at paranormal festivals. For a full schedule, go to his website.
