Who’s Behind That Halloween Mask?

Rochester, NY – Take your Halloween costumes for a trial run; the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is out to rattle bones this Halloween season, kicking off its orKIDStra Series on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein with “Things That Go Bump in the Orchestra.”  Michael Butterman, Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) leads a hair-raising program of music inspired by eerie events, terrifying tales and spooky stories.  Pre-concert activities begin at 1:00 p.m. and include an instrument petting zoo provided by the Hochstein School and an opportunity to make a Halloween mask.
 
The concert presents music from such movie favorites as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Jaws, with Liadov’s Baba Yaga (based on the fearsome witch in Russian folklore) as well as Korngold’s Fairytale Pictures, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries and Khatchaturian’s Masquerade Suite.  Providing additional interest for children will be the Suzuki students from Hochstein’s Vivace Violins (Katie Worley, director) and the Hochstein Advanced Suzuki Cello Group (Sandra Halleran, director), performing with the RPO in three short pieces.  In keeping with the RPO’s Halloween tradition, the Orchestra will perform in costume; audience members are encouraged to dress up as well.

General admission tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for kids, available online 24/7 at www.rpo.org, by phone (454-2100) and in person from the RPO Box Office.  RPO Box Office Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (non-concert Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.). 

The RPO orKIDStra concerts are sponsored by Wendy’s Restaurants of Rochester.  RPO performances are made possible in part with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; the State of New York; Monroe County; and the City of Rochester.

Celebrating its 85th season in 2007-08, the RPO inspires and enriches the community through the art of music.  The Orchestra is passionately dedicated to outstanding musical performance at the highest artistic levels, and has a unique tradition of musical versatility, commitment to music education in the broadest sense and a deep and enduring engagement with the community.  The RPO has been honored with the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and two recent ASCAP awards for adventurous programming.