Once a year, NIU’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall becomes the “Boo-tell Memorial Concert Hall.”

The transformation will be in full effect this Tuesday night for the School of Music’s annual Halloween concert, which takes place on the night before
Halloween every year.

Now in its 15th consecutive year, the Halloween concert is the School of Music’s biggest community outreach event. The concert is such a hit that it has been expanded into two shows – one at 6 p.m., and the other at 8 p.m.

Tuesday night’s concert will feature a program of Halloween-related entertainment in widely varying styles and formats. Attendees will hear everything from the NIU Woodwind Quartet’s version of “The Pink Panther” to the dramatically delivered scary stories of Dr. Patricia Ridge, NIU theater and dance professor.

While the concert hall is transformed into a haunted house, the music building’s corridors are transformed into a haven for trick-or-treaters. The offices and classrooms on the first floor are staffed by music students who volunteer to dress up and hand out candy.

Lynn Slater, public affairs coordinator for the School of Music, said the Halloween candy, which costs almost $500, takes a big chunk out of the program’s annual budget.
“It’s our way of thanking the community for their support,” she said.
Slater recommends the 8 p.m. concert for NIU students. The first concert is usually standing-room-only, and the music is usually a little obscured by the sound of constantly crinkling candy wrappers.

This year’s variety-show format is somewhat of a departure from tradition; the concert performances used to feature only the NIU Philharmonic, the student orchestra of the School of Music.

For the kids, the Halloween concert means two nights in a row of trick-or-treating. For NIU students, it means a night of interesting music by students and faculty in the School of Music. Of course, NIU students who really want some candy should see public affairs coordinator Lynn Slater.
“Certainly, I’ll have some leftover candy if they’re desperate,” she said.

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