Debby Boone will light up the Warren Civic Music Association’s 2025-26 season, which also will showcase a Howland native.

Along with a new lineup, WCMA also has new talent committee chairs, with Dale Janus and Mary Ellen Vencel. They succeed Ellie Monchak and Jean Potashnik, who led the committee for more than a decade.

Janus said he and Vencel presented the committee with about a dozen options, and the full group decided which of those acts they definitely wanted and those they would like if it worked within the organization’s budget.

They have to work with the available dates at Packard Music Hall and look for acts currently on tour, which can be significantly cheaper than paying travel expenses for a performer making a trip specifically to Warren.

“If you can catch these acts between Cleveland and Pittsburgh or something like that, they’ll be more than happy to stop here for a reasonable price,” Janus said.

The Lovin’ Spoonful, which will perform on Nov. 17, already had a show booked in Sydney, which made it more affordable.

The band, led by original bass and keyboard player Steve Boone, had 10 Top 40 hits from 1965 to 1967, including “Do You Believe in Magic?” “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” and “Summer in the City.”

The booking also reflects a desire to include more classic rock in the mix of concerts presented each season.

“I wanted to do a little more rock ‘n’ roll, a little more variety,” said Janus, who also leads the local horn-driven rock band Guys Without Ties. “We want to be all things to all people, so that’s why we have a classical act and a country act. We’ve got the Lovin’ Spoonful this year, and I would like to continue in that vein. That’s kind of what we’ll shoot for in the future, a little bit more classic rock rather than Great American Songbook, but we want both. Our audience is on the older side, so we gotta be a little cautious.”

The season will open Sept. 16 with Jackass Flats, which blends rock, bluegrass and jam band influences.

“They’re just a high energy band, and they’re very good musicians, and they all play multiple instruments,” Janus said. “They take any song they strike a fancy to and put a country twist on it. They’re promo reel is a lot of fun, and these guys look like they’re having a great time.”

While many tribute acts have played the area in recent years, one group that hadn’t been featured in Warren before, according to Janus, was a Simon & Garfunkel tribute act.

Coming Oct. 7 is Simon & Garfunkel 1981 — The Concert, which recreates the duo’s reunion performance at New York’s Central Park.

This year’s Christmas show on Dec. 2 will feature Debby Boone, who will sing holiday favorites as well as “You Light Up My Life,” which spent 13 atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, a record at the time.

The first show of 2026 will be Aria Nouveau, a duo featuring soprano Laura Auer and tenor John Reisen, on April 8. They have performed at New York’s Lincoln Center and were finalists on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” and their repertoire blends classical music with songs popularized by artists such as Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett.

The season concludes with the Soundscape Symphony, led by Howland native Mariano Longo. Longo has worked with such acts as Wayne Newton, Gary Puckett, The Buckinghams, The Spinners and Martha Reeves and will conduct an orchestral pop concert on May 7, 2026.

Janus saw a similar concert Longo presented last year, and was blown away by it.

“I just got a huge charge out of this big band — strings and horns as well as guitars, basses and drums,” he said. “It was just marvelous. The sound is just overwhelming. When you’re listening to a guy play string pads on a synthesizer, that’s one thing, but when you’ve got a full string section in front of you, it’s way different.”

Season tickets good for admission to all six events are $145. Renewal brochures have been mailed to current subscribers and anyone interested in season tickets can call 330-399-4885 or email info@warrencivicmusic.com.