The Eastern Michigan University Symphony Orchestra will bewitch audiences with the 12th installment of its annual Halloween Concert tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Pease Auditorium.
This family-friendly concert offers a safe Devil’s Night alternative for the Ypsilanti and EMU communities. The orchestra will be performing works by Humperdinck, Berlioz, Copland and Elfman under the baton of Kevin Miller. Small ensembles and soloists will be performing Halloween-themed pieces in between the orchestral works.
Organ faculty Dr. James Wagner will be performing spooky organ music prior to the concert to get the audience in the mood, as well.
One of the more interesting works on the program is “The Composer Is Dead,” based on a novel by Lemony Snicket and with music by Nathaniel Stookey. It is a piece for narrator and orchestra a la “Peter and the Wolf” or “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” where each instrument is featured, one at a time.
The orchestra will be performing in costume, and the audience is encouraged to dress up, as well. Professor Miller explains he chose music that is “pops music, or anything that lends itself to a nice costume.”
Children in costume will be invited to participate in a costume parade and will be able to walk across the stage as the orchestra plays.
According to professor Miller, “one of the most important reasons [we do this] is for the community outreach and the fact that it gets young kids to come to an orchestra concert because for many of them it might be the first time they’ve seen a live orchestra on stage and heard a live orchestra.”
The program will conclude with “What’s Up at the Symphony?,” “a collection of snippets from Saturday morning cartoons,” Miller said.
This piece includes many traditional classical orchestral pieces, which are recognizable for being included in popular cartoons.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students and $6 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the door.