APSU’s 35th Annual Percussion Ensemble Halloween Concert coming Oct. 29

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Shortly after sunset on Oct. 29, several unsavory characters – including Darth Vader, Michael Myers and that notorious foodie, Hannibal Lecter – will descend upon Austin Peay State University’s Mabry Concert Hall to unleash their ominous theme music onto a crowd of eager listeners. That evening, the University’s Department of Music will host the 35^th annual performance of its wildly popular Percussion Ensemble Halloween Concert, with this year’s program spotlighting some of pop culture’s biggest bad guys.

“This one is all about the villains,” David Steinquest, APSU professor of music, said. “Pretty much everything has to do with bad guys.”

The Tuesday night concert will open with music from the “Halloween” movies, and then move into works such as Bach’s “Goldberg Variation No. 25,” which was used in the “Silence of the Lambs,” and “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars.” Later, another famed villain will make his way to the stage, with APSU music professor Jeffrey Williams singing the lead role from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The evening’s eclectic program will also feature Igor Stravinsky’s “Triumphal March of the Devil,” German composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Evening Prayer” from his opera “Hansel and Gretel,” and the theme song from the popular 1966 television show, “Mission Impossible.”

For more than three decades, Steinquest and his musical minions have ushered in the October holiday with this madcap concert, featuring student musicians in Halloween costumes and an eerily decorated Mabry Concert Hall.

“There will be special lighting effects, and the communication department will provide a live feed video on the back screen giving the event an exciting rock concert vibe,” he said.

The event’s popularity over the years prompted the music department to add a second performance, with this year’s concerts set for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Oct. 29. Admission to the Halloween concert is two cans of food, which will be donated to Loaves and Fishes, or $5. Tickets go on sale Oct. 16, and the event usually sells out. For tickets, drop off the cans of food at the music office, Room 139 of the Music/Mass Communication Building, or purchase them online at APSU Marketplace.

For information, contact the music department office at 221-7818.