“Into The Shadows”

“Our mission is to promote LGBTQIA+ awareness, acceptance, and equality in a positive way through entertainment and inclusion. Our diverse membership serves the community by educating through the performing arts.”

ACT 1 

Music from Stranger Things

Arranged by Sean O’Loughlin

Song sponsored by: The Conger Family

The music of Stranger Things is as important to its atmosphere as the mysterious world of Hawkins itself. Sean O’Loughlin’s arrangement moves through the series’ iconic electronic main theme and four songs that became closely associated with its characters and story: “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” “Master of Puppets,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and “Running Up That Hill.” The arrangement shifts between pulsing electronic textures, driving rock rhythms, powerful melodic statements, and quieter moments of tension, creating a musical journey that feels both unmistakably 1980s and distinctly otherworldly. Back to top.

Marche Diabolique

Composed by Brian Balmages

Song sponsored by: The Golden Bee Fleurs

Marche Diabolique takes the familiar structure and rhythms of a traditional concert march and sends them somewhere much darker. The music is driven by a persistent opening rhythm, while the extensive use of the tritone—the unsettling interval sometimes known as the “devil in music”—gives the piece its distinctive harmonic character. A contrasting trio section introduces a softer melody before the tension gradually builds toward a bombastic fugue-like “dog fight,” where the chimes introduce a variation of the Dies Irae. Even when the intensity subsides, the music never quite loses its sinister edge. Back to top.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Music and Lyrics by Danny Elfman • Arranged by Michael Brown

Song sponsored by: Joe Kennedy & Juan Canasi

Danny Elfman’s music for The Nightmare Before Christmas moves effortlessly between the eerie, the whimsical, the theatrical, and the heartfelt. Michael Brown’s arrangement brings several contrasting sections together, including the Overture, “What’s This?,” Christmas Eve Montage, “Sally’s Song,” and “This Is Halloween.” Listen for the way Elfman changes musical color from the bright, almost childlike excitement of discovering Christmas to the darker sounds of Halloween Town, with melodies that can be playful one moment and surprisingly tender the next. Back to top.

The Haunted Carousel

Composed by Erika Svanoe

Song sponsored by: The Rice Family

A carousel usually suggests bright lights, cheerful music, and a carefree ride. Erika Svanoe’s The Haunted Carousel takes those familiar sounds and gradually turns them into something much more unsettling. Repeating rhythmic patterns and swirling melodies create the sensation of a carousel continually turning, while changes in harmony and musical color transform the atmosphere from playful to mysterious and eerie. The result is a musical ride that sounds increasingly less like a carnival attraction and more like something that should be avoided after dark. Back to top.

Ogres and Goblins and Trolls, Oh My!

Composed by Julie Giroux

Song sponsored by: Copperhead Salon

Ogres and Goblins and Trolls, Oh My! is Halloween music at full volume. Julie Giroux fills the piece with aggressive rhythms, big brass sounds, unusual effects, and melodies that seem to appear from around every corner. Drawing on the dark atmosphere of fantasy music, the piece has an energetic, almost mischievous character. Listen for the recurring rhythmic ideas, colorful percussion effects, and sudden changes that make it difficult to predict exactly where the music will go next. The title’s rhythmic connection to “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” from The Wizard of Oz is reflected in the playful spirit of the music. Back to top.

Fright Night

Arranged by James Kazik

Song sponsored by: Fine Dentistry of Downtown Orlando

Six familiar pieces of frightening music collide in James Kazik’s Fright Night: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Funeral March of a Marionette, the “Theme from Jaws,” the Addams Family theme, Night on Bald Mountain, and “Thriller.” The fun comes from the rapid changes in musical character. Ominous classical passages give way to suspenseful rhythms, recognizable television themes, massive orchestral climaxes, and the unmistakable sound of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Listen for how Kazik’s arrangement uses these contrasting styles to keep the music moving from one fright to the next. Back to top.

INTERMISSION

ACT 2 

Incantation and Shadow Dance

Composed by Barry E. Kopetz

Song sponsored by: Anthony Parisi & FusionCore / Group Travel Network

Based on the witches of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Incantation and Shadow Dance unfolds in two distinctly different musical worlds. It begins slowly and mysteriously, with long, sustained phrases creating the sensation of an incantation being whispered over a cauldron. Without warning, the music erupts into the rhythmic Shadow Dance, where increasingly energetic figures and darker colors suggest a gathering of supernatural creatures. The tension continues to build as more musical layers join the dance, driving the piece toward a frantic and dramatic conclusion. Back to top.

Dracula

Composed by Kelly Bennette

Song sponsored by: “Congratulations Michelle & Kennedy. Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness together.” With love, your CFSOF family.

Kelly Bennette’s Dracula tells Bram Stoker’s story through a series of contrasting musical episodes. The music follows Jonathan Harker’s journey to Transylvania and his discovery of Count Dracula, then moves through the attacks of the female vampires, Lucy’s transformation, and the pursuit of Dracula by Dr. Seward and Van Helsing. Dramatic themes, sudden changes in intensity, and atmospheric percussion help create the feeling of a musical horror film unfolding onstage. The score can also incorporate theatrical effects—including thunder, rain, knocking doors, creaking hinges, and wolves—to heighten the atmosphere. Back to top.

Beetlejuice

Main Theme • Music by Danny Elfman • Arranged by Michael Brown

Song sponsored by: Homegrown Arts

Danny Elfman’s main theme from Beetlejuice is instantly recognizable for its quirky, mischievous character. The music combines a driving rhythmic pulse with exaggerated melodic gestures and sudden shifts in energy, creating a sound that is playful without ever becoming entirely comfortable. Michael Brown’s concert-band arrangement captures that unusual balance, allowing the music to feel both cartoonish and slightly sinister—an ideal musical introduction to the strange world of the afterlife. Back to top.

The Ballad of the Witches’ Road

Composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez • Arranged by Jonathan Snyder

Performed by Brass Ensemble The Bell-Tones

Song sponsored by: MOKE America Orlando

Originally featured in Marvel’s Agatha All Along, “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road (Sacred Chant Version)” takes on an entirely new character in this instrumental arrangement. Rather than voices, Jonathan Snyder uses a choir of brass horns to create a dark, ancient-sounding musical landscape. The distinctive sound of these instruments give the familiar melody an eerie, almost ceremonial quality, evoking the sound of a coven gathering to perform an old and mysterious ritual. Back to top.

The Great Rubber Chicken Galop

Composed by Randall D. Standridge

Song sponsored by: YOU MATTER

Prepare for a very different kind of shadow. The Great Rubber Chicken Galop is built in the style of a 1920s vaudeville number, combining the quick energy of a galop with ragtime harmonies and rhythms—and, of course, an ensemble of squeaking and honking rubber chickens. The music is deliberately fast, exaggerated, and technically demanding, with extreme dynamics and prominent percussion helping create its manic stage-show character. Beneath the absurdity is carefully crafted ensemble writing: the musicians have to play the ridiculous with complete seriousness. Back to top.

“Time Warp”

From The Rocky Horror Picture Show • Words and Music by Richard O’Brien • Arranged by Johnnie Vinson

Song sponsored by: Rob Powell Fitness

Few songs invite an audience to participate quite like “Time Warp.” Richard O’Brien’s high-energy number from The Rocky Horror Picture Show is built around a driving dance rhythm, memorable melodic phrases, and a structure that practically demands movement. Johnnie Vinson’s concert-band arrangement preserves the song’s infectious energy while translating its rock-and-theater sound into the colors of the wind band. So as we reach the end of our journey into the shadows, get ready to do the Time Warp again. Remember: “It’s just a jump to the left!” Back to top.

CFSOF PERFORMING MEMBERS

Artistic Director: Dr. Lindsey Williams

Associate Artistic Director: Jessica Rice

(*) = GUEST PERFORMER
(∞) =  FOUNDING MEMBER
(+) = CFSOF BOARD MEMBER

(*) = GUEST PERFORMER
(∞) =  FOUNDING MEMBER
(+) = CFSOF BOARD MEMBER
(&) = GUEST CONDUCTOR

Meet our President & Artistic Team

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