The Beantown Swing Orchestra is a Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

-based 18-piece big band

Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

 that was formed in 2006 by Frank Hsieh. Initially specializing in performing the classic dance music from the Swing Era

Swing Era

The Swing era was the period of time when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though the music had been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Moten, Ella Fitzgerald,...

, the band has since expanded its repertoire to include music from the 1950s and 1960s, particularly the arrangements that were sung by Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

 and Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

. In 2007, Beantown featured performer Jonathan Meath

Jonathan Meath

Jonathan Meath is an award–winning American TV producer based in Boston who is notable for earning numerous Emmy nominations and the coveted George Foster Peabody Award in 1993. He is known for his commitment to children's educational television...

, who performed as Santa Claus

Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

 in three shows. Since 2007, almost all of the band's charts have been transcribed or arranged by trumpeter Danny Fratina. The group's best-known vocalist is American Idol finalist John Stevens

John Stevens (singer)

John Bassat Stevens IV is an American classic pop singer and was the sixth-place finalist on the third season of the television series American Idol.-Biography:...

, although it also features various female vocalists, including singer/songwriter Erin McKeown

Erin McKeown

Erin McKeown is an American multi-instrumentalist and folk-rock singer/songwriter.McKeown began her career in the folk scene. She released her first album, Monday Morning Cold, on her own label , travelling throughout New England while still a student at Brown University in order to promote the...

. The band performs regularly at weddings, parties, fundraisers, concerts, and dances throughout the Northeastern United States

Northeastern United States

The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

.

The band appears as itself in the 2008 movie My Best Friend’s Girl

My Best Friend's Girl (2008 film)

My Best Friend's Girl is a 2008 romantic comedy film by Howard Deutch and stars Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Diora Baird, Alec Baldwin, and Lizzy Caplan. It was released on September 19, 2008.-Plot:...

. Two tracks previously recorded live by the band - Hava Nagila

Hava Nagila

"Hava Nagila" is a Hebrew folk song that has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.-History:...

 and Sing, Sing, Sing

Sing, Sing, Sing

"Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima and first recorded by him with the New Orleans Gang and released in March 1936 as a 78 as Brunswick 7628 . It is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. It was covered by Fletcher Henderson and most famously Benny Goodman...

 - were used in wedding reception scenes that depicted the band performing.

Since January 2009, the band has been working with Boston radio personality Ron Della Chiesa

Ron Della Chiesa

Ron Della Chiesa is a Boston area radio personality. Born in 1938 in Quincy, Massachusetts, he was taken by his father to jazz and Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts in the early 1950s, and developed an ear for both genres. His commentaries on WGBH-FM radio for the Boston Symphony are broadcast on...

 to promote classic American swing music, both on the radio and via live performances hosted by Chiesa.

Jennifer Hirsh, the band's longest tenured vocalist, was a contestant on American Idol Season 9, having advanced to Hollywood after singing "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" in the Boston auditions. She did not advance past the first Hollywood round.

The band recently recorded an original version of the Foxwoods Resort Casino

Foxwoods Resort Casino

Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...

theme song "The Wonder Of It All" for a contest to determine the casino's next jingle performer. They were among ten finalists chosen to perform their version live at Foxwoods on February 27, 2010.