Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

This year’s Yale Symphony Orchestra Halloween show lived up to its reputation as one of Yale’s most exciting traditions. 

The crowd — filled with students donning togas and cat ears — buzzed with excitement as Low Strung Cellos, a modern-rock, student-run cellist ensemble, opened the show. Their performance was passionate, as the musicians exchanged smiles and even drummed their palms on the soundboard to create a rhythmic beat. 

However, the audience’s rowdy chatter nearly drowned out the music, making it difficult to hear or enjoy the performance. 

After the Low Strung Cellos’ portion of the concert, students waited for 15 minutes before the stage setup was finalized. Boredom and anticipation led students to start a human wave that circled around the hall multiple times.

Finally, the lights dimmed, and the resonant pipes of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue cut through the darkness – casting an eerie atmosphere. On the organ, Hubert Ngọc Huy Trần ’27 delivered a powerful performance before the YSO members took to the stage. 

Following their yearly tradition, the members of the symphony coordinated costumes by section: cats and dogs, referencing misinformation about immigrants spread by former President Donald Trump, the Plastics’ “Jingle Bell Rock” routine from “Mean Girls” and an Olympic-themed performance where Benjamin Graham ’28 mimicked the viral Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn.  

With the last introduction, assistant conductor Nicole Lam ’25 took to the podium, replacing the usual conductor, YSO Director William Boughton, in line with the usual Halloween concert protocol. Boughton was mainly absent throughout the night except for a Stan Lee-esque appearance in the silent film.

The film “FROSH’D & FOUND,” directed by Daphne Joyce Wu ’26, follows four first years — played by Aiden Magley ’25, Annie Citron ’25, Andrew Wang ’25 and Justine Xu ’27 — in their chaotic quest for social status. 

The night of drama begins when, during a pre-game, the four spot their upperclassmen heroes: Chadley, the rush chair of LEO; Saylor Twist, who legally changed her name due to her Taylor Swift obsession; and Mary J., president of Fence Club and infamous “hotboxer.”

After a few shots in their dorm, and a few more taken at the Schwarzman Center, Magley drunkenly stumbles off. Meanwhile, the other three continue their heated argument and then part ways to find their senior idols.  

A series of mishaps ensues: Wang is sidetracked by Chadley into a “lame” dorm party at God Quad; Citron encounters Saylor Twist listening to Charli XCX; and Xu crosses paths with Mary J., who declines her offer to share an oversized inflatable joint.

Upon meeting their heroes, the three first-years realize that these upperclassmen aren’t so cool after all. 

While the film’s plot was well-written, the storyline proved too complicated for the audience, who shared Magley’s competence level –– that is, when he’s ten shots deep. Though well-directed, the frequent interludes, scene changes and non-linear storytelling made the plot difficult to follow.

Other than that, the film met the mark in every other category. The music and humor were the real stars of the show. 

Atticus Margulis-Ohnuma ’25, the film’s music director, created a perfectly curated set list, consisting of works from Shostakovich and Beethoven to more contemporary pieces like Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and the Mission Impossible theme. Despite the wide range of genres, the music flowed seamlessly and matched the film’s content. 

Additionally, much of the dialogue contained jokes that had audience members gasping, poking fun at Branford’s irrelevancy, desperate LEO pledges, left-wing student group infighting and members of the Yale Undergraduate Consulting Group.  

The true scene-stealer was singer Laufey, who was this year’s celebrity cameo. When Xu is caught smoking a joint by the police, the Yale Daily News captures Xu and fails to convince her to join the News. The Yale Daily News members communicate this failed attempt to their boss, Laufey. 

The film also boasted its camera work and digital elements. The quality was impressive, and the color grading was imaginative. In one of the final scenes following a drunken Magley, the shaky videography, as “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations played in the background, was the perfect climax. 

In the culminating scenes of the film, Citron, Wang and Xu separately receive a note to meet in Woolsey Hall. Wang’s violin is waiting for him, and as he begins to play the violin solo from Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” the other two first years stumble into the hall and reunite with one another. 

As Erin Nishi ’25 played Wang’s solo off-screen, the heartfelt moment of this reunion fully captivated the audience, who were moved to the edge of their seats. 

In a “Saylor-twisted” turn of events, Magley is revealed to have orchestrated the entire disastrous night in an attempt to show his friends what’s cooler than social status: friendship. 

He is the mastermind who convinced the three upperclassmen to disappoint his friends and plot various other mishaps throughout the night. 

When the film ended, audience members rose to their feet in applause –– before going their own ways to attend afterparties or farm sleep for upcoming midterms. 

The next YSO concert is on Nov. 16 at Woolsey Hall and includes three pieces from the film’s setlist.