The Haunted Carousel: 2nd B-flat Clarinet

The Haunted Carousel earned its National Band Association Young Band Composition Contest victory for good reason: it delivers genuine theatrical impact without demanding equipment your school might not own. Svanoe smartly designed the optional theremin part as an amplified iPad application with GarageBand, meaning you can create that unsettling, haunting texture with tools already in many music departments. The orchestration ensures nothing critical depends on the theremin, so you can program this with confidence whether or not you pursue the electronic element.

The music evokes the creaking, off-kilter beauty of an old carousel caught between nostalgia and unease. The theremin's otherworldly shimmer floats over the band's textures, creating an effect that feels both whimsical and genuinely unsettling; it's the kind of piece that makes your audience lean forward in their seats.

Concert bands at the Grade 3 level looking for a Halloween or fall concert finale that combines entertainment value with legitimate compositional craft. Directors who want their audience engaged and talking about the music afterward will find this particularly rewarding.

• If you decide to use the theremin part on iPad, rehearse the electronic sound separately first so your ensemble hears exactly what they're balancing against before combining it with full band.
• Lean into the atmospheric sections by keeping them genuinely quiet; the contrast between sparse, eerie passages and fuller moments defines the piece's dramatic arc.
• Work through the score spatially during rehearsal so musicians understand which instruments create the carousel effect and where the tension builds; this shared understanding makes the performance cohesive.
• Record a rehearsal and listen back to tempo consistency, especially if the piece includes gradual tempo shifts typical of program music.

Reserve this for your October concert as an encore or closing piece that leaves a lasting impression on the audience. It pairs well alongside lighter concert fare earlier in the program, offering a tonal shift that showcases your ensemble's versatility and musicianship while maintaining audience engagement through the program's final moments.

• Balance and blend in scoring with optional electronic elements
• Sustained tone quality in exposed, sparse textures
• Attention to articulation and style variation across a programmatic work
• Collaborative listening when performing alongside recorded accompaniment