As the air turns cooler and the sun sets earlier, a sure sign of fall is the annual Hauncert concert by the orchestra. The concert which has showcased grades six through 12 four the last four years, showed the wide range of skills developed by orchestra students. The affectionately named Hauncert that took place October 27 at Northpark Centre, drew over 600 of the usual crowd of students, parents and shoppers. The gathering has become a favorite tradition ever since it started in 2006.

The orchestra students continued to embrace the costume tradition with costumes that included Maleficent, Dracula, Darth Vader, a unicorn, Elsa, Anna and Waldo.

“This year I decided to go with a classic, black cat idea for my costume,” freshman Ava Miranda said. “It was fun and easy to dress up as, and I knew it would also be easy to play in.”

The music selected was primarily contemporary and well-known music, rather than classical pieces. With over 250 orchestra students playing they were clearly enjoying the familiar tunes. The music caught people’s attention as they were walking through the mall. Songs included John Williams: Star Wars, Theme from “Jurassic Park,”Raiders March from “Raiders of the Lost Arc,” A medley of selections from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” “Night” by M.L. Daniels, “A Witches Sabbath” from Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fastastique” and “Back in Black” by AC/DC (played last and a crowd favorite). The Disney themed songs gave students the idea to dress as Disney Princesses. They thought it was fitting since orchestra is going to Disney World this spring. The ‘Disney Princesses’ walked through the audience delighting children with their presence and handed out candy.

“It’s really fun to learn how to play music that you would hear in movies,” freshman Mariyam Siddiqui said. “It’s cool to see the audience light up when they hear a familiar piece of music. This year everyone got excited when they heard the Star Wars theme start because it’s so well loved, and the new movie is coming out soon.”

This performance was spectacular and spooktacular and well worth the visit to a crowded mall. Make sure to mark your calendar for next year’s show.