Spooky Symphony – a free, frightfully entertaining Halloween concert and multimedia presentation in one – is a fangtastic gift to the community, made possible through the combined talents of the Alhambra Orchestra and the Greater Miami Youth Symphony (GMYS), and the sponsorship of The Children’s Trust. The celebrated annual family-friendly event treats concertgoers at the Arsht Center’s dazzling Knight Concert Hall to a ghoulish musical repertoire, classic horror movie clips projected onto a giant screen, and a parade of spook-tacular looks, as both audience members and musicians are invited to come in costume.
“One of my favorite Spooky moments was walking out to the stage in a Darth Vader outfit and conducting with a light saber,” says Huifang Chen, GMYS’s music director. “The crowd went crazy!”
Featured musical selections in the past have included goose bump-raising scores from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone, King Kong and Broadway’s Wicked, as well as spine-tingling classical pieces such as Danse Macabre and Night on Bald Mountain. The event, says Alhambra Music Director Daniel Andai, gives kids an opportunity to experience classical music in a way that’s especially engaging and relevant to them, “and it creates a community of families through music.”
WHAT: Spooky Symphony, a special multimedia performance by the Alhambra Orchestra and Greater Miami Youth Symphony, presented by The Children’s Trust
WHEN: Sunday, October 29, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. – TWO performances!
WHERE: The Adrienne Arsht Center Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132
DETAILS: Admission is FREE but ticketing is required. Reserve your seats through the Arsht box office in person, online at www.arshtcenter.org or by calling 305.949.6722; reservations available as of October XX. For more information, call 305.667.4069 or visit www.gmys.org or www.alhambramusic.org.
The Alhambra Orchestra and GMYS, both long-standing service organizations devoted to music and music education, are aided by funding from The Children’s Trust and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; their work benefits hundreds of children and families throughout Miami-Dade County. The Alhambra – a true community orchestra that brings together a diverse group of amateur and professional musicians from around the globe, ages 18 to 80 – performs classical, chamber, holiday and pops. And hundreds of local children are currently served by GYMS through weekly musical instruction, rehearsals and performances, all under the guidance of experienced professional teachers.
“Music connects us all, and an event like Spooky Symphony brings everyone together,” says Chen. “Thanks to The Children’s Trust, this free event enables kids and families of all backgrounds to experience live music without any cost.” That everyone, even the adults, is encouraged to dress up, makes Spooky’s supernatural experience that much more entertaining, she notes.
“People can pretend to be whatever they’d like to be,” she says. “And the power of the music and the images projected onto the screen create magic and spark children’s imaginations. We love being a part of it!”
And it’s those moments of delight and wonder seen shining across the faces of every child in the audience that makes Spooky Symphony such an endearing cultural and educational event.“Our mission has always been to empower the community to work together to provide the essential foundations that enable every child to achieve their full potential,” says James R. Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust. “But we also know how important it is to provide kids with extraordinary experiences they wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy. Spooky Symphony is one such opportunity.”