7:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Victory Theatre, 600 Main St, Evansville, IN

The University of Evansville will present the first concert of its Victory Series in downtown Evansville on October 31, Halloween night. The Halloween Bash will include performances by two of the department of music’s premier ensembles, the University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.

The Halloween theme will add a spooky flavor the evening’s event. Works to be performed by the Wind Ensemble will include pieces like Eric Whitacre’s Ghost Train, and Daniel Bukvich’s Voodoo. Though its title invokes thoughts of magic or religion, Voodoo was composed with an educational objective – get performers to listen to each other more carefully. It achieves that goal by requiring the piece to be performed from memory, without a conductor, in complete darkness. It is both a theatrical and musical work, including use of flashlights, arm waving, singing, and performing in unusual ways. The piece calls to mind ‘sounds of the jungle’, and should contribute to the evening’s Halloween atmosphere. The Wind Ensemble is led by UE’s Director of Bands, Kenneth Steinsultz.

Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain will be among the selections performed by the Orchestra. The work, which gained prominence in the Disney movie classic Fantasia, is an eerie depiction of the celebration of the witches’ Sabbath. The Orchestra will also be performing Dvorak’s The Noon Witch. Based on a Czech legend, the Noon Witch is a cautionary warning for children who choose not to behave. Dr. Chun-Ming (Jimmy) Chen conducts the UE Orchestra.

In addition to performances by the ensembles, the evening will include an Old Hallows Eve flavor, including students performing in costume and a costume contest for audience members. Audience members interested in the costume contests should plan to arrive at the Victory by 7:15 for judging. Winners will be recognized during the concert and receive an award.

And of course, what would October 31 be without some candy for trick-or-treaters.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Victory Theatre in downtown and is free and open to the public.

Program

The Noon Witch, Op. 108 (1896)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Rusty Air in Carolina (2006)
Mason Bate (b. 1977)

Night on Bald Mountain (1867)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
(Orchestrated by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886)

University Symphony Orchestra
Chun-Ming Chen, conductor

Intermission

Ghost Train Trilogy (1995)
Eric Whitacre (1970)
I. Ghost Train
II. At the Station
III. The Motive Revolution

Voodoo (1993)
Daniel Bukvich (1954)

Peterloo Overture (1968)
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
arr. Charles Sayre

University Wind Ensemble
Kenneth Steinsultz, conductor