The Lehigh Valley classical music scene is about to get a 1970s disco takeover.

Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops presents “Dancing Queen: The Music of ABBA,” 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. July 18, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown.

“ABBA didn’t just write great songs, they made great records and that was their secret,” says Carl Magnus Palm, author of “Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Definitive Biography of ABBA.”

Under the direction of guest conductor John Devlin, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops, along with Jeans ‘n Classics guest artists guitarist Adam Martin, bassist Mitch Tyler, pianist Steve Holowitz and drummer Jeff Christmas, and vocalists Katalin Kiss, Andrea Koziol, Callandra Dendias and Kathryn Rose, bring the sounds of ABBA to the stage.

The concert opens with the 1975 hit “Mama Mia!,” written by ABBA members Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and ABBA manager Stig Anderson.

The song was so popular it became the foundation for the hit musical “Mamma Mia!,” which opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in 2001.

In 2003 Andersson and Ulvaeus won the Touring Broadway Award for Best Musical Score.

ABBA’s first major international hit was “Waterloo” (1974), when the group won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden. The song reached No. 1 in several countries and No. 6 on the “U.S. Billboard Hot 100.”

In 1975, although “Mama Mia!” was the major hit, two other notable works bolstered the groups presence in the global arena. “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” topped the charts in Australia while reaching No. 15 in the U.S. and “S.O.S.,” with its sultry and melancholy vocals along with upbeat drive, secured their first major worldwide hit since “Waterloo.”

The concert includes their prominent songs: “Fernando” and “Money, Money, Money” (1976), “Knowing Me, Knowing You” (1977), “Summer Night City” and “Take a Chance on Me” (1978), “Does Your Mother Know” and “Voulez-Vous” (1979), “Super Trouper” and “The Winner Takes It All” (1980) and “Lay All Your Love on Me” (1981).

Two additional selections, “Chiquitita” and “I Have a Dream” from their 1979 album “Voulez-Vous” speak to ABBA’s warmth and generosity.

The lyrics to “Chiquitita” provide a comforting message to a youngster. ABBA premiered the song at a UNICEF benefit televised concert where ABBA donated song royalties to UNICEF in recognition of “International Year of the Child.” UNICEF has stated that $5 million in royalties and subsequent royalties that continue today have funded programs for at-risk girls and children.

“I Have a Dream” is a song about hope, optimism and resilience when Europe was experiencing the late-1970s’ energy crisis, massive inflation, widespread labor unrest and was divided by the Iron Curtain. The song has vocals by a children’s choir of students from the Stockholm International School of Sweden.

The concert closes with “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” (1979).

Devlin is Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling, W.Va., and the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, Lancaster, Ohio. In 2023, he received the Georg Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award.

He received master’s and doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting from the University of Maryland School of Music, and an undergraduate degree from Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., graduating Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Clarinet Performance and Latin.

“Dancing Queen: The Music of ABBA,” Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops, 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. July 18, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; Free tickets for those age 21 and under. Tickets: box office: 610-432-6715; https://www.millersymphonyhall.org

“Classical View” is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com