Music on the Delaware invites you to relive the enchantment of the Swing Era with Dan Gabel and his orchestra featuring vocalist Kimberly Hawkey. This first concert of the 2026-2027 season takes place on the main stage in the historic Walton Theatre, 30 Gardiner Place, Walton, NY, on Saturday, October 17^th at 7:30 pm. Family-friendly, and you’re invited!

Award-winning vocalist Kimberly Hawkey returns to the Walton Theatre stage to pay tribute to the legendary voices of Helen Forrest, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. Her stunning vocals, combined with the orchestra's powerful harmonies, create a truly magical experience. Kimberly’s voice is a time machine. Jazz, Broadway, folk-she effortlessly blends genres, transporting audiences to worlds of beauty with each crystalline note. Carrying the torch of timeless Big Band magic, Kimberly’s velvety voice has soared alongside some of the greatest names in vintage jazz.

Dan Gabel's orchestra, renowned for its rich, authentic sound, will transport you to a bygone era in a breathtaking performance featuring an all-star ensemble of musicians. Hailed by the Boston Globe as “the real deal, [a bandleader] that looks and sounds like the 1940s” and by the Syncopated Times as “the champion of Big Bands and vintage jazz,” Dan Gabel is a trombonist, arranger, bandleader, historian, and educator. His popular Big Band, Dan Gabel and The Abletones, has played throughout the United States and is featured on numerous recordings and video/television programs. The band features a vintage look and sound, and “transports audiences to another time through the sights and sounds of the Big Band era.”

Sway to the timeless rhythms of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Harry James, and other iconic bandleaders. The American Big Band Experience is a celebration of the Great American Songbook, filled with elegance, romance, and pure musical joy.

There will be a brief intermission and a 50-50 raffle drawing.

Workshops will be conducted with local schools on Thursday and Friday (10/15 and 10/16).

Kristina Marinova, a classically trained European pianist, captures the sonic tapestry of the Grateful Dead’s music spanning from their inception in 1966 to their award-winning and critically-acclaimed three-album Live European Tour in 1972.

A Celtic Christmas featuring a holiday mix of instrumental talent, beautiful vocals, engaging arrangements, and stunning step dancing.

Joe Newberry from the Missouri Ozarks and April Verch from Ottawa, Canada perform original songs and timeless classics. See first-hand the roots of their music in their fiddle and banjo numbers combined with traditional dance steps.

ABBA Tribute Show from the NYC area will have the audience singing and dancing to the best of ABBA’s hit songs.