SPELL
SUMMER 2018 | artsLife 41
MAGIC
MUGG
e’re just wild about Harry. More
Harry Potter book was published
— Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
Stone in 1997 — J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard retains
a magical hold over audiences.
Nowhere is that more true than in Central
Florida, home of The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter, an entire theme park, which
debuted in 2010 at Universal Studios Florida.
in the Potter series — Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows — 10 years ago, fans of
Harry and his Hogwarts classmates still enjoy
reliving the original stories in new ways.
Now there’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban in Concert, which features a
live orchestra performing the Oscar-nominated
John Williams score while the 2004
-
tering Potter franchise — is shown in high
“It’s important to the arts center to introduce
young audiences to the value of live
orchestral music,” says Kathy Ramsberger,
the arts center’s president and CEO. “And
what better way to do it than through a musical
presentation related to a phenomenon
in our culture?”
What better way indeed? Only Voldemort
himself could fail to be wowed by such a
spectacle.
Hopefully, however, “He Who Must Not Be
Named” won’t be in attendance when the
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra — under
the baton of guest conductor Justin Freer
— casts its spell over the Walt Disney Theater
with three shows on Saturday and Sunday,
June 23 and 24, 2019. The Saturday show is at
7:30 p.m., followed by two Sunday shows at 1
p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are priced starting
at $45.50.
“This will be another unforgettable event,”
says Freer, who’s also founder and president
of CineConcerts, which created the Harry
Potter Film Concert Series. “It’s a once-in-alifetime
cultural phenomenon that delights
millions of fans around the world.”
That certainly appears to be the case. In
two previous Potter-themed concerts presented
by the arts center, the 2,700-seat
venue has been packed with fans, many
In fact, that’s the case everywhere the series
is presented.
hours — including a 20-minute intermission
— attendees cheer or boo the entrance of
each of the story’s myriad characters. And,
invariably, they leap to their feet and cheer
W
F E A T U R E D P E R F O R M A N C E
STILL CASTING A
MAGICAL MOVIE MUSIC TRANSPORTS
MUGGLES TO HARRY’S HOGSWARTS.
e’re jus