Popular 'SPOOKtacular' Returns to The Bay City State Theatre
Bijou Orchestra to Play Variety of Halloween Music
October 21, 2007
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By: Julie McCallum, Entertainment Editor
Halloween music both old and new are on the program for The Bijou
Orchestra's annual Halloween Spooktacular. The concert will be given Sunday, October 28 at 2:00pm at the beautifully restored Mayan State Theatre, 915 Washington Ave in Downtown Bay City, Michigan.
Halloween SPOOKtacular is sponsored by SC Johnson.
"Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays," says Leo Najar, Artistic Director of The Bijou Orchestra. "As a boy, some of the first classical music I ever heard included the pieces our music teacher would bring to class and play for us on the record player in celebration of the holiday." said Najar.

Najar continued, "Every year we would hear Danse Macabre, Night On Bald Mountain, In the Hall of the Mountain King and other pieces that came to be as much a part of the holiday as jack-o-lanterns and ghosts for me. I love sharing that repertoire with young people and their parents. For many, it is their first introduction to an orchestra playing classical music."
According to Najar, It is not to say that the concert is all classical. During the 1960s in particular, Halloween became a time of many humorous Halloween-themed songs including The Addams Family and Monster Mash. Those pieces are also on the program, as are some popular film selections including Pirates of the Caribbean.
It takes two performers to pull this concert off. Rob Clark, a noted singer and actor in the region is a regular part of the SPOOKtacular. Appearing as "Monster of Ceremonies," Clark is responsible for singing several of the songs and exchanging comic conversation with the conductor.

Audience participation is a big part of this concert, which includes a costume judging competition as well as a sing-along portion which brings audience members onstage, and Rob manages both of those events as well.
Tickets for the concert are $10 for adults and $5 for students 21 and under with ID that establishes them as a full-time student.
Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.BijouOrchestra.org or by phone at (989) 892-4200 or in person at the Bay Musical Arts Box Office: 917 Washington Avenue, Bay City, Michigan, 48708. Box-office hours are 1-5:00pm Tuesday through Friday. Tickets are also available at the door.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist.
The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Kantzler Foundation, the Russell H. & Maxine E. Smith Foundation, and the Bay Area Community Foundation. Major corporate contributors include the SC Johnson Corporation, Dow Corning, Bay Regional Medical Center, OmniSource and Thelen Auto Group.
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