The Columbus Pride Concert Band will present its “Boo!” fall concert Saturday at Lincoln Theatre. Credit: Tony Killian
Whether students are seeking spine-chilling thrills or family-friendly fun, the Columbus Pride Concert Band is presenting a Halloween-themed concert that can appease all Buckeyes.
Featuring concert music, a poetry reading and spooky stage designs, Columbus Pride Concert Band will present its “BOO!” concert at Lincoln Theatre Saturday at 7 p.m., transforming the stage into a haunted scene in the process, according to Columbus Pride Bands’ website.
As Central Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community band, Columbus Pride Bands annually presents two concert-band performances — one in the spring and one in the fall — with different themes each year, Columbus Pride Bands President TJ Klopfstein said. This year’s fall concert aims to incorporate ghosts and ghouls into the world of music, he said.
“It’s going to be a really fun concert for people of all ages to come and kind of celebrate before Halloween season,” Klopfstein said.
The band will play popular horror movie scores, including selections from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Addams Family,” Klopfstein said. “House of Horrors” is a piece composed by the Columbus Pride Bands, which combines a lot of classic horror movie themes into one song, he said.
“The whole theme is just kind of a little spooky, a little creepy, but also just making sure that we’re all having fun,” Klopfstein said.
Jennifer Olis, associate artistic director of Columbus Pride Bands, said the band will also perform classical, Halloween-esque music such as “Toccata and Fugue in D minor.”
To transcend the traditional bounds of a concert, Olis said there will also be a live poetry reading of excerpts from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Bells,” “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
“We’ve kind of started this adventure into being a performance, more than just a concert,” Olis said.
To create a ghostly vibe, Olis said the theater’s lighting will be dimmed to accentuate sporadic, flashlight-like lighting elements throughout the performance.
For one particular song, Klopfstein said the band will play in complete darkness, with only occasional flashlight beams serving as visual aids; as such, it is necessary for members to memorize the piece in order to display a perfect performance.
“I’m excited to be able to perform that,” Klopfstein said. “I really think the audience is going to love that interaction.”
Between the animated lighting and multimedia elements like videos, PowerPoint slides and pictures, Olis said the concert will encapsulate the concept of immersivity.
“The whole performance is more of an interactive space for the audience rather than just sitting and listening to the concert happen,” she said.
Klopfstein said band members will perform in costume, and attendees are also encouraged to dress up. The concert will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lincoln Theatre, and tickets can be purchased here.
