As Halloween approaches, Houstonians across the city are stocking up on candy and getting their costumes ready. Many Houston Symphony musicians get especially excited about this gleefully ghoulish holiday. We asked them about their favorite costumes, ghost stories and music for Halloween. Here’s what they had to say.
Robin Kesselman, principal double bass
Is there a particular song or movie score that puts you in the Halloween Spirit?
A: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Do you have any annual Halloween traditions?
A: Load up on free candy!
Michael McMurray, double bass & assistant librarian
Is there a particular song or movie score that puts you in the Halloween Spirit?
A: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Do you have a favorite Halloween costume?
A: Darth Vader
Daniel Strba, viola
Is there a particular song or movie score that puts you in the Halloween Spirit?
A: Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette (the theme from Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
Do you have any annual Halloween traditions?
A: We watch Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.
Brian Del Signore, principal percussion
Do you have any annual Halloween traditions?
A: I bring out a little mechanical skeleton that sings “Super Creep,” a parody of Rick James’ “Super Freak.”
Do you have a frightening or supernatural experience you’d like to share?
A: I slept in a haunted house once with my wife and child. It was a B&B in rural Michigan. The dusty house was eerily furnished with antiques and a mannequin or two sitting in the living room. The first night turned stormy, and we went to bed with our 3-month-old child sleeping between us. I woke up near dawn. The room was pitch black, but I sensed a presence observing us. It swept through the room blowing upward like wind with blue light and was gone. At the end of our stay, we learned from the owner that a woman had been murdered by her husband in the home many years ago. The owner confirmed that many guests had encountered her. We haven’t returned there since…Should we?
