Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Coming to Sands

New age band Mannheim Steamroller is making Bethlehem a stop on its 27th Christmas season tour as the will host the perennial holiday favorites on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

The band’s 1984 album Mannheim Steamroller Christmas changed the holiday season soundtrack with its signature combination of classical music instruments and rock 'n' roll beats.

The album remains one of the top selling Christmas records of all time and its annual holiday tour was one of the top 20 concert tours in the United States in 2011.

Grammy Award winner Chip Davis will direct and co-produce the performances with MagicSpace Entertainment. The shows will feature the favorite Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with state-of-the-art multimedia effects in an intimate setting.

Tickets for prices ranging from $55 to $99.50 go on sale at 10 a.m. today. For more information on the show, seating arrangements or ticketing, visit www.sandseventcenter.com.

The Sands Event Center also announced this week that it will be hosting acclaimed and award-winning country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson on Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.

Johnson’s most recent album The Guitar Song was among the most lauded albums of 2010, receiving country album of the year nominations from the Grammys and the Academy of Country Music. It was certified gold and ranked No. 5 on both Rolling Stone’s and Spin’s albums of the year lists.

His next record, Livin’ For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, is due to be released on Sept. 25.

Tickets for Jamey Johnson will go on sale Friday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m., with prices ranging from $29.50 to $45.