Community turns out in droves for JSO's Police concert

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

May 19—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Leading up to Saturday's "The Music of The Police" concert by the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Michael Yuhas said his family had been listening to the rock band's music a lot.

His 7-year-old son Christopher said he was looking forward to hearing the group's hit "Message in a Bottle," which luckily for him the JSO and accompanying band Jeans 'n Classics opened with at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.

Yuhas said he and his wife enjoy bringing their children to the symphony, especially because of the family-friendly atmosphere.

"The kids really enjoy music," he said. "They really enjoy live music, so this seemed like a good opportunity."

Stephanie Yuhas, his wife, added that the combination of classical instruments and music of The Police "sounded like a really great show" as well.

The concept of combining these drastically different styles of music was the reason several people bought tickets to the show.

That includes Kerry Wingard, of Sidman, who attended with his mother, June, and sister, Dana Himes.

"I'm sure the music is going to be pretty good," Wingard said.

Saturday was his first time attending a JSO concert and he was excited to see the performance, especially because it was his birthday.

His mother said she's attended symphony shows and enjoyed them while Himes said she is a fan and appreciates Music Director James Blachly's expansive approach.

"This is going to be an interesting concert,"John Rogers said. "Talk about variety."

He attended the event to support his wife, Annis, who had played violin for the Johnstown symphony for the past 50 years.

Rogers complimented the group for the growth he's heard first-hand throughout the years and heard his wife practicing for Saturday's show and expected it to be good.

The show was also marked a special moment for the orchestra because it was the largest indoor concert the group has performed in its history, Blachly said.

"Tonight we are making history together," he said.

The music director also thanked the audience of more than 1,500 for attending and promised an enjoyable evening.

Ian Jutsun and Kathryn Rose, of Jeans 'N Classics, provided vocals for the songs Blachly said were "cherry-picked" from The Police and Sting's musical catalogue.

Some of those songs included hits "Walking On the Moon," which included crowd participation, "De Doo Doo Doo, De Da Da Da" and "Every Breath You Take."