October 24, 2025
SIU School of Music’s “Halloween Pops” to entertain all ages
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The sounds in the late October night won’t be frightening as the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music presents its annual Halloween Pops concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Shryock Auditorium.
The free, public concert is also the perfect opportunity for the audience — children and adults — to dress up as their favorite characters to celebrate the evening. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s a fun event for the community because most of this music will be new to them, and if they know any of the pieces, they likely haven't heard this music performed live by the unique ensembles we have,” said Richard Kelley, an associate professor of saxophone.
The evening will showcase a wide representation of School of Music ensembles and artists performing from various staging positions throughout Shryock Auditorium, providing a “seamless show where the audience doesn’t have to wait for set up changes on the main stage,” Kelley said. Almost all of the nearly 100 performers are School of Music students or faculty, with a few community members joining the larger ensembles to help fill out the sound.
Ensembles, choirs, solos galore
The program will feature nearly one dozen performances, including the SIU Wind Ensemble with composer Eric Whitacre’s “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!” Other selections include the saxophone ensemble performing the “Munster’s Theme,” percussion ensembles with “Nola-Béla-Sowega” and “Skeleton Key,” and the SIU Concert Choir with “Ritual,” along with selections from the brass chamber, trumpet and jazz ensembles.
Carissa Scroggins, an associate professor of practice and voice area coordinator, will perform “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” and Angela Shultz, an associate professor of practice, will perform “Lizzie Bordon’s Rag.”
Music education majors who are learning how to teach music to elementary students will be able to showcase their prowess with a Halloween medley arranged for various classroom instruments.
The costume contest, with small prizes, will allow the audience to show off their creativity.
Kelley said he hopes the performance leaves the audience “with a new or renewed interest in what the School of Music has to offer. Almost all of our performances and events are free, so we would like to see the community take advantage of these offerings.”