A little night music FOKO and the PSO get in the spirit BY BECCA DEWAN
	FOKO SILENT FILM NIGHT With The Phantom of the Opera | Merrill Auditorium, Portland | Fri., Oct 28 | 207.842.0800 PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Performing Halloween-themed pops | Merrill Auditorium | Sat. + Sun., Oct 29 + 30 | 207.842.0800

Halloween is as old as Christianity. The origins of this now commercial holiday date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.

The Celts lived 2000 years ago in what is now Ireland, northern France, and the United Kingdom. November 1 was their New Year’s celebration, a time of year that was dark, cold, and often associated with the deaths of many people. On the eve of their new year, Celts celebrated Samhain, a time when the divide between the living world and the world of the ghosts was not so clearly defined. The ghosts who returned to Earth were believed to have caused trouble and damaged crops. Celts wore animal-skin costumes, built bonfires, offered sacrifices, and told fortunes during their night-long festival.

So fast forward two millennia through Roman and Christian influences, cross the ocean and add Americanized traditions, and you have today’s candy-filled, costume fest. Besides spending $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, there are other ways Americans can celebrate the not-so-sacred holiday.

In the Portland area, there are community Halloween parties, haunted houses, costume competitions, and haunted hayrides. There are also two spectacular Halloween-themed musical events going on October 28 through 30.

The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ (FOKO) are very active in bringing organists from around the world to Merrill Auditorium. They have an especially full summer concert series, and also have concerts throughout the fall and winter months. One series that has grown in popularity during its 20-year lifespan is that of silent film nights; each year there’s one around Halloween and one on Valentine’s Day.

This year, on October 28, FOKO presents guest organist David Peckham, accompanying The Phantom of the Opera. The 1925 original version of the movie will be shown, featuring Lon Chaney in one of him most famous roles.

David Peckham (that’s with a P not a B, don’t get too excited soccer fans) has been playing the organ since he was 11 and later graduated from the Eastman School of Music. He has a regular church gig in New York, but also has been touring as a theatre organist since 1980. You might have heard him on Pipe Dreams, Public Radio International’s organ radio program on which he has been featured many times.

The silent-film era spawned thousands of silent films and, with them, theaters specifically designed to accommodate this new art form. The theatre organ became decidedly different from the concert organ, with its myriad bells and whistles. While the Kotzschmar does not have all the sound effects of a typical theatre organ, last year’s guest artist Dennis James says, "it is ideal for a concert organ used to accompany a silent film."

And we can’t forget the costume party aspect of the silent film night. Not only will you get to try out your Halloween costume, but you’ll also get half-priced admission if you’re wearing a costume. Last year’s costume contest was such a success that this year FOKO has added a parade through the audience to showcase everyone’s exceptional outfits.

Also in Merrill Auditorium is the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Halloween Pops concert, October 29 and 30.

The PSO puts on three concert series a year: Tuesday Classical, Sunday Classical, and Portland Symphony Pops. This kid-friendly Halloween Pops concert will feature spooky music from a variety of genres and eras. Some that you might expect, and perhaps already associated with Halloween: themes and music from The Adams Family, Psycho, and Amityville Horror, and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

Also on the program is Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette, which is the Alfred Hitchcock theme. Hitchcock is said to have chosen Gounod’s piece after hearing it in the background of the 1927 silent film Sunrise. Some other Halloween favorites include "March to the Scaffold," from Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Saint-Saëns’ Dance Macabre, and Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. While just their titles certainly could conjure up thoughts and images of spooky October 31 nights, these pieces deliver the spooky punch, as well.

If you’re still looking for other musical Halloween events, check out Don Campbell’s Costume Party at the Children’s Museum in Portland on October 29, or the Halloween Ball at the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor also on October 29.

Though damaged crops and ghost-caused damage hasn’t been an issue lately in Portland, perhaps you want to celebrate Halloween anyway, the American way, with candy, costumes, and classical music. Enjoy the Silent Film night Friday, and the Pops concert Saturday or Sunday. Just leave your Celtic animal-skin costume at home.

Becca DeWan can be reached at beccadewan@mac.com