Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Gets Spooky with Halloween-Themed Performances

Monstrous family fun, spooky classical music, and costume party madness takeover the BSO’s Meyerhoff and Strathmore performance homes

BALTIMORE (October 17, 2023) – Guests are invited for a thrill alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) this October! The Symphony gets spooky with special Halloween-themed performances of Music to Give You Goosebumps and BSO Fusion: Skull and Bones, which expands to The Music Strathmore Center for the very first time. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring the entire family and get festive with costumes during these exciting performances.

“We’ve got your Halloween plans covered here at the BSO,” said Mark C. Hanson, CEO and President, BSO. “Music to Give You Goosebumps is the perfect way to get our young music lovers and their families engaged with interactive music and storytelling. Then, our best-selling concert series, BSO Fusion returns with a Halloween twist, led by the exuberant, Steve Hackman. We couldn’t think of a better time than now to expand the series to both of our performance homes including The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.”

Music to Give You Goosebumps
Saturday, October 21, 11 am, Meyerhoff
Midweek Concert: Wednesday, October 25, 10 am and 11:30 am, Meyerhoff
Midweek Concert: Thursday, October 26, 10 am and 11:30 am, Meyerhoff

What makes music scary? Is it loud noises, screechy sounds, or the “tap-tap-tap” of skeleton footsteps? Join the BSO and award-winning children’s author Anna Celenza for an afternoon of thrilling classics featuring witches, trolls, wizards, and monsters. The program features familiar sounds including music from Harry Potter and Jaws and works by Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg, Franz Liszt, and John Williams. The concert will conclude with a musical setting of Celenza’s “Danse macabre” read by the author. Baltimore City Title 1 schools are invited to attend Midweeks Concerts for free, including transportation, through the generosity of The Patricia and Mark K. Joseph Music Education Fund for City Schools. Free tickets for Baltimore County Title 1 schools and a deeply subsidized admission price of $7 per student are also available.

Artists
Tristan Rais-Sherman, conductor
Anna Celenza, narrator
Katie Heit, soprano
Lura Johnson, piano

BSO Fusion: SKULL AND BONES
Friday, October 27, 8 pm, Strathmore
Saturday, October 28, 8 pm, Meyerhoff

One of the BSO’s most popular series makes its return with Skull and Bones­ – a symphonic showcase and Halloween dance party. Classic orchestra showpieces like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, “Mars” from The Planets, Danse macabre, and the finale of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony are played in their original form then remixed and combined with electronic beats; layered with vocal stems of Post Malone, Muse, Drake, and Adele; woven into dancehall floor-killers. Debuting for the first time at The Strathmore Music Center, the pre-concert party kicks-off at 6:30 pm with a costume party featuring tunes by DJ Justjuwit and creepy crawly photos with Snap Happy Photo Booth. On Saturday night, The Lit Lobby powered by Hotel Revival pre-concert party makes its Meyerhoff return with a spooky twist featuring a DJ set from DJ Justjuwit, food from Emmanuella’s Quizine, The Empanada Lady, and Codetta Bakery, and drink specials powered by Hotel Revival. Attendees should plan their scariest, cutest, or most original costume and sign up for the Halloween Masquerade Contest. Prizes for first place in each category.

Artists
Steve Hackman, conductor
Wordsmith, vocalist
Malia Civetz, vocalist
1200, vocalist