By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

CANAJOHARIE — On Friday evening, some of the area’s most beloved musicians assembled at The Upstate Chapel, formerly Sts. Peter and Paul Church, for a spooky Halloween Recital.

The eerie mood was set before even entering the building, which was bathed in deep red just for the occasion. The mood became progressively creepier, as Eric M. Stroud, the building’s owner, took his place at the organ, also bathed in red, to begin the show with a performance of “Toccata and Fugue, D Minor”, by Johann Sebastian Bach. He made the complex performance seem effortless, gliding and pounding his hands across the double layered organ keyboard, stomping away at the foot pedals.

Although Stroud’s back was to the crowd as he played the organ, located on the balcony level, the crowd was invited to view the details of the performance via video projections of his hands and stockinged feet, displayed vividly on the white wall of the church’s former altar.

Waiting lined up along the edges of the pews were the East Hill Chorus, adorned in costume. As Norma Bowley played “The Addams Family” on the organ, the chorus members, led by Sue Crua, took to the front of the church, singing the last few lines of the song as they were ensconced in smoke and blue light.

Following that performance was an organ and piano duet, and solo piano pieces by Caitlin Hurd and Jordan Hurd, whose performances lent to the eerie atmosphere, as they faced away from the crowd as they played.

One performance on the piano was by a ghoulish cloaked figure, who, upon exiting the chapel by way of the center aisle, was shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke.

The event also featured vocal performances by the Hallows Eve Singers, directed by Carol Cechnicki, who also performed a solo of “Funeral March Medley” on the organ. The Hallows Eve Singers appeared twice, first to sing the traditional spiritual “Walk Dem Bones!” and again toward the end of the one-hour concert for a performance of “Night Noises”, by Ruth Elaine Schram.

A choral performance was also provided by The Sentimentalists, who sang “Phantom of the Opera”, “Old Abram Brown”, and “Dem Bones,” on the steps of the former altar, adorned in black clothing, the women wearing tall, pointed witch hats.

Andrew Lloyd Weber made two appearances Friday evening, including during a performance of “All I Ask of You” by the Upper Catskills String Quartet directly prior to the choral performance of “Phantom of the Opera”.

As Stroud adjusted the lighting for the final performance from the balcony, he bristled with excitement over piece about to be performed, which he said was harder to play than the number he opened the show with.

That performance, of “Toccata, D Minor”, by Johann Sebastian Bach, was by Naphtali Rothrock, who banged on the organ with the unbridled passion of a rock performer, and the precision of a classical musician, not missing one beat.

The performance sent the crowd out — or to the back of the church, where refreshments were served — on a high note. Many attendees could be heard complimenting the performances they just witnessed as they exited the haunting stone structure, still bathed in shifting red and yellow hues, stationary yet full of life against a cloudy, slow-motion night sky.