Conjuring ghosts in an old music hall: The Haunting of Hoxton Hall

Hoxton Hall, a Grade II-listed music hall dating back to 1863, was the site of this year's Halloween special by the innovative circus group Airealism. This was their biggest and most ambitious production to date, featuring four interlinked ghost tales told through dialogue and artfully designed circus set-pieces over the course of a single, terrifying evening.

As well as handling sound design, I wrote around 35 minutes of original music for the production, ranging from the gothic to the playful to the downright sinister. Many cues were designed with looping sections to allow the action to play out naturally on stage before being interrupted by a jump scare or a subtler change of atmosphere. Each of the four sections had several recurring themes, and tying everything together was the sound of a solo viola, beautifully played by Herman Ringer.

The reviews were very kind:

"... the score by Tristan Jakob-Hoff is fantastic in building up a chilling soundscape..." -- A Shiny Life for Me!

"The synergy of Jakob-Hoff’s haunting score, the striking lighting design, and the dedicated performances brought the show together in a way that made the experience unnervingly beautiful and for the most part, captivating." -- A Young(ish) Perspective