The annual Halloween Percussion Ensembles Concert was hosted in the Albert Taylor on Oct. 25 and 26. The concert is open to the public, and many people from Decatur bring their children for the fun. There’s even a costume contest The Halloween themed concert put on every year is used as fundraiser for the percussion students’ trip to PASIC, Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis.

The concert took place in the already haunted Albert Taylor Theatre. The concert captilized on the ghost story and zip lined a small doll dressed as the supposed ghost The Rail Girl after sharing the story of her untimely death and haunting activities with the audience.

The concert opened with a costume parade in which the percussionists strutted across stage wearing their best halloween gear. A couple favorites including a taco, a werewolf in a leopard snuggie, Cinderella, Beetlejuince, Waldo, Charlie Brown, a tourist and three freshmen in red, green and yellow bodysuits.

With Mike Sulley conducting the first piece, the percussionists played Death by Oog Booga composed by, Axwell and Sebastian. The next piece featured three percussionists, as they played popular video game themes including the theme from Mortal Kombat. The next song in the lineup was called Mario’s Matrix, this piece had an accompanying animation done by Sabrina Pena Young. The next song was entitled Marimba Madness by Mark Ford, this piece featured three students, who played a piece on one marimba.

The next piece featured three freshmen dressed in red, green and yellow jumpsuits who played a piece called New Guys by B Just. The piece was played on four gallon buckets, who joked around about not getting to play real instruments. It was a cool piece using strobe lights to maximize the effects of the piece. The next piece intitled Virelaan featured more animation from the talented Sabrina Pena Young.

There was a break in the music after Virelaan to announce the winners of the costume contest. The concert gave out prizes to three winners, a children’s prize, an adult’s prize, and prize for Millikin students. A young girl took the children’s prize dressed as a vampire, the adult prize went to a woman dressed as a flapper, and the student’s prize went to a percussionist dressed as Waldo from the popular Where’s Waldo books.

The piece just after the winners were announced was called, Speak Softly by David Little. This piece featured four percussionists playing with 3 sticks and what appeared to be tree stump. The next piece called Bond by Monte Norman, played the popular sluething theme from the hit James Bond films. As the percussionists played the director crept around the stage picking off members with his dart gun until only one member remained.

There was another interlude in the program which featured a video by PH Productions. The video depicted the percussionists’s excitement for PASIC. So excited in fact, the video showed them leaving for PASIC early, only to find out they hadn’t finished the concert, the video also featured the trials of getting MilliVan certified. For the final piece of the evening they played a piece called Frankenstien by Edgar Winter and featured guitarist Adam Wissman.

The show offered a good evening of fun Halloween themed music, costumes, and laughs. Hats and masks off to all thoes involved in making the Halloween Percussion Ensembles Concert a success for another year.