By Jacob Tone, Contributing Writer
On Oct. 26, 2025, Students from Gettysburg College’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music sought to bring a festive spirit to Schmucker Hall on Sunday afternoon during the first annual “Clarinets & Costumes” recital, to blend musical performance with Halloween flair.
The recital, held at 3:30 p.m. in the Paul Recital Hall, featured solo and ensemble works by costumed student clarinetists across class years under the direction of Adjunct Assistant Professor Dr. Aaron D. Scott.
Student Plays Clarienet in Costume. (Photo: Jacob Tone/The Gettysburgian)
The program opened with Bernard Herrmann’s Prelude from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, performed by The “JHEE Ensemble” — James Humphrey ’26, Harry Krangar ’28, Ezra Burroughs ’28, and Edie Rice — intending to set a suspenseful tone for the afternoon. Rebekah Trovinger ’28 followed with Malcolm Arnold’s “Fantasy” for B-flat Clarinet, which ventured to showcase technical control and expressive phrasing.
Other highlights included Hector Vasquez ’27 performing Tyler Mazzone’s “A Cat… named Arthur!,” and Ezra Burroughs ’28 presenting Christopher Ball’s “Invocations of Pan.” Harry Krangar ’28 concluded the solo portion with Dietrich Erdmann’s Monolog.
The Gettysburg Clarinet Ensemble then took the stage for the second half of the concert, performing an array of works ranging from Debussy’s “Syrinx” to Edward Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1.” The ensemble also delivered spirited renditions of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” and Danny Elfman’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” arranged by student and faculty collaborators.
Members of the clarinet ensemble included Humphrey, Burroughs, Krangar, Alivia Lins ’28, Nikki McDowell, Edie Rice, Isabelle Stehle ’26, Trovinger, and Vasquez.
With its mix of haunting melodies and lighthearted costuming, Clarinets & Costumes sought to demonstrate the creativity and camaraderie of the Sunderman Conservatory’s student musicians.
