Silver Starlite Orchestra, circa 2000. Founder and leader Dot Cacchio is in the middle row, second from left.
Silver Starlite features the trombone section in this 2005 or 2006 performance. Left to right: founding member “The Colonel,” USAF Colonel (retired) Herb Maddox; lead trombonist (and future director) Nancy Petrucelli in one of her early performances with the band; Silver Starlite’s former webmaster and paymaster Jeff Behr; and bass trombonist Keith Marson. The late Colonel (1918–2016) was a favorite of both audiences and band members, known to the former for his sombrero and maracas when the band played Latin numbers, and to the latter for his stories of his experiences both as a World War II veteran and his career as an engineer designing defense systems.
Outside the stage door before a performance at the Bickford Theatre, Morristown, NJ, circa 2010.
The Silver Starlite Orchestra at a Veterans Day performance. Clifton, NJ, early-to-mid 2010s. Ray Johnston has the biggest smile (and a different style of uniform) because he was the only band member actually serving in the US Army at the time.
Always entertaining vocalists Jimmy Mastrull (left) and Shelli LaTorre performing with Silver Starlite. Mid-2010s.
The Silver Starlite Orchestra onstage at the opulent and elegant Jersey Loew’s Theater, Jersey City, New Jersey, October 2018.
Pavinci Italian Grill, on the shore of Lake Hopatcong, hosted the Silver Starlite Orchestra for over 15 years of monthly performances. The band played for diners and dancers at the popular eatery from 2006 until it was sold in 2023. Here, the band poses before their first performance following the Covid-19 pandemic. (October, 2021)
While the rest of the band gets ready for a performance at Pavinci, Silver Starlite tenor saxophonist and arranger Kevin Loughman contemplates one of the finer points of his next arrangement. Or perhaps he’s just trying to remember if he locked his car. (October, 2021)
The Silver Starlite Orchestra performing at Brightview Senior Living in Randolph NJ in May 2024.
The Silver Starlite Orchestra onstage before performing at a debutantes’ ball. New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 2024.
For more information about the band or an upcoming performance, or to find out about hiring the band for your event, contact Silver Starlite.