The Daniel Recital Hall was filled with family members and close friends enjoying, applauding every melodic piece that played at the annual Spooktacular concert.
The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music presented a concert and costume contest Thursday in honor of the Halloween season.
The event is a collaboration concert between the Long Beach State CSULB Concert Band and the Long Beach Community Band. Pieces performed included The Imperial March from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back and The Complete Harry Potter, which is a medley of Harry Potter songs that were created by four different composers over a 10 year period.
Spooktacular is headed by CSULB Concert Band conductor Jermie S. Arnold who not only conducted the CSULB Concert Band, but also orchestrated the event.
“I like the Halloween spirit, and getting the kids involved with music at a young age is really important,” Arnold said. “The movie music helps with that; the kids get so jazzed.”
He also spoke very highly about his collaborators, the Long Beach Community Band.
“I’ve always wanted to work with the Long Beach Community Band, and after a few concerts with them over the years we decided to do the Spooktacular,” Arnold said.
Some performers chose to wear costumes ranging from an In-N-Out employee to a vampire, maintaining a festive atmosphere of the night.
“I like the Harry Potter piece. It’s just a recognizable tune that everybody knows, so it’s fun for the audience as well,” said second-year Molly Haun, a flute player for the CSULB Concert Band.
Haun has done Spooktacular in the past and said this year in particular was much more festive than previous years.
“I think more people came to this [Spooktacular]. There were more pumpkins and way more costumes,” Haun said.