Last Wednesday, October 29th, was a night of chilling tunes and playful Halloween costumes for the Midlothian Orchestra Department. The Chamber Orchestra put on classics such as “This is Halloween” and the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” while the Concert Orchestra displayed the “Halloween Theme” by John Carpenter and “Haunted Carousel” by Erika Svanoe. Eighth graders from Midlothian Middle School also took the center stage, demonstrating a uniquely titled piece: “Rosin Eating Zombies from Outer Space.” By the end of the night, five groups had come on to the stage to display their musical showcase.
“The eighth graders [started performing], and then we went with Orchestra Club, because that’s a really small group. Then, we went with the Concert Orchestra, which is typically underclassmen, and then we went with Chamber Orchestra, which is typically upperclassmen. [Afterwards], the full Combined Chamber and Concert Orchestra played together, and then we added the eighth graders onto the stage with us afterwards,” Olivia Salley (12) said.
For the orchestra, it wasn’t just about the music, students could wear Halloween costumes as a part of the festivities. Salley was dressed as a Phoenix during her performances.
“My favorite part is that orchestra gets to wear Halloween costumes, and so everyone was just dressed up,” Salley said. “I had these wings because I was a Phoenix and I kept hitting people, it was funny.”
Some performers, such as Elliot Marshall (11), played songs across many different Orchestra groups.
“I played the ‘Halloween Theme,’ ‘This is Halloween’ from The Nightmare Before Christmas, ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ ‘The Evil Eye and the Hideous Heart,’ ‘The Curse of Tutankhamun,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ and the ‘Haunted Carousel,’” Marshall said.
To prepare for the concert, the orchestra groups had two rehearsals after school from 3:30 to 5, and they continued their practices during MAP periods.
“A lot of [the songs] in the fall concert are mainly based around speed, so a lot [the fun] comes from playing it stupidly quickly and finally getting it right,” Ethan Malik (11) said.
Besides serving as a thrilling performance for the musicians and members of the audience, the fall concert is a way for the orchestra students to track their progress throughout the year.
“It always falls around Halloween time, right at the end of the first quarter, so it’s a showcase of what we’ve been working on since the beginning of the year. It just shows, as the concerts go on, how we progress, so what did we sound like at this concert, the first concert?” Salley said. “Typically we’re better by the spring concert at the end of the year.”
