SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR to Open Massapequa Philharmonic Season
Guest conductor Paul Little leads violinist Yujin Kang in a program of witches, ghosts and orchestral classics at Alfred G. Berner Auditorium.
The Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra will open its 2026–2027 season with "Symphonic Spooktacular," a Halloween-themed afternoon of witches, ghosts and orchestral mayhem, on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Alfred G. Berner Auditorium in Massapequa.
Audience members of all ages are invited to dress up for the occasion, and the fun doesn't end when the music stops. Following the concert, the Philharmonic will host a Halloween Reception, complete with a trick-or-treat area where candy will be handed out around the room — making this as much a family Halloween party as it is a concert.
The program itself is built for the season: Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain conjures a witches' sabbath in sound, Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette supplies the macabre wit familiar to generations of Alfred Hitchcock fans, and Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre rattles skeletons across the stage at midnight. Dvořák's The Noonday Witch brings its own folk-tale menace, violinist Yujin Kang tears through the fireworks of the first movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, and the afternoon closes with the hallucinatory final two movements of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique — "March to the Scaffold" and "Witches' Sabbath" — as vivid and theatrical a close as the orchestral repertoire offers. Guest conductor Paul Little leads the performance.
"Orchestral music has an incredible ability to transport audiences into another world," said David Bernard, Music Director of the Massapequa Philharmonic. "This program captures the excitement, imagination and drama that make live performances so special — and with costumes in the hall and candy waiting afterward, it's a Halloween the whole family can build a tradition around."
Tickets are $20 for adults, with a $20 suggested donation for students and seniors age 65 and older, and may be purchased in advance or at the door.
The concert also continues the Philharmonic's broader mission: bringing exciting, accessible orchestral experiences to Long Island audiences. Under Bernard's leadership, the orchestra has expanded its programming through innovative performances, community partnerships and collaborations that welcome both longtime concertgoers and those discovering classical music for the first time. "We believe great orchestral music belongs to everyone," Bernard added. "Our goal is to create concerts that inspire, entertain and bring the community together."
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