Candlelight Halloween concerts in Westchester County are adding a new plan to the Halloween roster this spooky season. In a region famed for the legend of Sleepy Hollow and autumn’s vibrant charm, Halloween in Westchester County is a season-long celebration of folklore and festivity. From ghostly tales to candlelit concerts, it’s never too early to plan something unforgettable. Explore Candlelight Halloween experiences before they vanish!
Candlelight: Halloween Classics
Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho Prelude” remains one of cinema’s most blood-curdling musical moments, its screeching strings forever linked to shower scenes and shadowy motels. Combined with Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre”—where Death himself plays the fiddle—and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” these pieces represent the evolution of fear through music across classical, cinematic, and pop culture realms.
The string quartet becomes a vessel for musical terror, with each instrument contributing its own voice to the symphony of shivers. Herrmann’s stabbing violin passages translate perfectly to live strings, while “Danse Macabre” finds its natural home in the ensemble’s ghostly harmonies. Even “Thriller’s” funk rhythms gain eerie sophistication when filtered through classical instrumentation and amber illumination.
Candlelight Concerts at St Marks Episcopal Church
The historic architecture and warm acoustics of St Marks Episcopal Church make it an enchanting setting for this Candlelight Halloween concert. Thousands of flickering candles transform the space into a glowing sanctuary of shadows and sound, inviting audiences to arrive 30–45 minutes early to fully absorb the eerie beauty before the 60-minute performance begins.
With haunting renditions of “Night on Bald Mountain” – Modest Mussorgsky, “Der Erlkönig” – Franz Schubert, and “Funeral March of a Marionette” – Charles Gounod, the concert stirs spine-tingling suspense through live strings. It’s one of Westchester’s most atmospheric seasonal experiences—don’t wait too long to secure your seat.