By Anabel Rattray

A crowd gathered this past Saturday at the UNCG Auditorium. Numerous and varied pumpkins crafted by three-dimensional foundations art classes at UNCG lined the walk and guided people into the building to attend Collage 2023. The annual event, ticket proceeds from which go toward student scholarships, presented the diverse and remarkable talent found in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at UNCG.

After the gourd-lined walk into the auditorium, the crowd—with many dressed appropriately for the Halloween holiday—waited in anticipation.

“Welcome,” the dean of the school of music declared, “to Spooky Collage!”

Inside, the crowd hushes, and the room darkens.

The UNCG Wind Ensemble begins the performance with the iconic Bach “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”—think vampires and pipe organs—the recognizable opening notes resonating across the auditorium. And this was just the beginning.

The first half of the program moved seamlessly from piece to piece, coordinated by expert lighting and stage choreography. Among the highlights were the Saxophone Ensemble playing Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre,” the Horn Ensemble’s rendition of the “James Bond Theme,” and a string arrangement of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” performed by the Gate City Camerata, an ensemble featuring students and faculty. Each brought forth its own form of seasonal delight, and the additional production elements brought a sense of levity to the event. Performers humored the audience as they sang Henry Purcell’s “But Ere We This Perform” around UNCG Wind Ensemble conductor Dr. Jonathan Caldwell. The wonderfully modern “Dreams of a Perfect Sleep” blended synth and electric guitar with classical music. The return of the Bach fugue closed the first act with terrific suspense to highlight the Halloween theme.

The second half of the concert began dramatically, with the UNCG Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jungho Kim, playing excerpts from The Phantom of the Opera. The mix of modern and classical musical repertoire continued, with highlights from student group Cady and Q performing “Nightmare” and the Jazz Ensemble I playing “Witchcraft” by Cy Coleman and “Nightmare” by Artie Shaw. The Symphony Orchestra returned to close the show with Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana. The UNCG College of Visual and Performing Arts, for the 16th year in a row, presented a phenomenal and engaging event for the university and the Greensboro community.