She has heard it time and time again: an introduction to the symphony at a young age is what keeps patrons returning for years to come.
And, according to Okanagan Symphony Orchestra music director Rosemary Thomson, there乌鸦传媒檚 no better way to introduce children to classical music than through J.K. Rowling乌鸦传媒檚 acclaimed series Harry Potter. To that end, the OSO presents The Music of Harry Potter in Vernon Oct. 26, Penticton Oct. 27 and Kelowna Oct. 28.
乌鸦传媒淔or so many people, I乌鸦传媒檝e heard they were brought to the symphony by a special adult in their life,乌鸦传媒� Thomson said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just a perfect introduction to this whole new world.乌鸦传媒�
Scored by John Williams, Harry Potter and the Philosopher乌鸦传媒檚 Stone hit the silver screen in 2001 based on Rowling乌鸦传媒檚 1997 novel of the same name. In its opening weekend, the film earned an estimated $93.5 million. Today, the series乌鸦传媒� eight films and spin-off prequel flick Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them have generated more than $8.5 billion worldwide. Of those eight films, Williams left his mark on the first three 乌鸦传媒� Philosopher乌鸦传媒檚 Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Prizoner of Azkaban 乌鸦传媒� and received Grammy and Oscar nominations for his work.
乌鸦传媒淢ost of it (our performance) is from the first movie. I love Harry Potter, the books, the movies and most of all the music,乌鸦传媒� Thomson said. 乌鸦传媒淛ohn Williams乌鸦传媒� score brings all of the characters to life in the most magical way. I can乌鸦传媒檛 wait for this show.乌鸦传媒�
To help bring the production to life, Vernon actress Nina Ogasawara will don the garb and demeanour of the series乌鸦传媒� heroine Hermione Granger while Dominik Weaver will wear the circular spectacles and lightning bolt scar of the story乌鸦传媒檚 favourite young wizard and titular character.
Fans of the movies will recognize many songs from the soundtrack, Thomson said. Her favourite, however, is Hedwig乌鸦传媒檚 Flight.
乌鸦传媒淗e does such a great job at simulating flight through this piece,乌鸦传媒� Thomson said. 乌鸦传媒淗e really pushed the orchestra to play at their best.乌鸦传媒�
Other iconic pieces include the light and sparkly sounds of Diagon Alley, the woodwind sounds of Quidditch and Fluffy the three-headed dog乌鸦传媒檚 piece featuring the contrabassoon 乌鸦传媒� a large woodwind instrument that coils around itself and boasts the title of the orchestra乌鸦传媒檚 lowest instrument.
In addition to entertaining the kids through familiar tones, Thomson said the performance also acts as a way to introduce children to the different sections and sounds of the orchestra through section solos. And, once that love of the symphony is born and a child乌鸦传媒檚 involvement in music takes root, Thomson said the performance evolves into something beyond mere entertainment.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 like taking a kid who plays peewee hockey to the NHL,乌鸦传媒� Thomson said. 乌鸦传媒淚t inspires them to keep going.乌鸦传媒�
Unlike the OSO乌鸦传媒檚 primary ChaseWines Masterworks programming, The Music of Harry Potter falls under the annual family special umbrella, which saw Sergei Prokofiev乌鸦传媒檚 Peter and the Wolf take Okanagan stages last year. That performance also marked the introduction of the family special to Vernon audiences.
乌鸦传媒淣ot every concert we do is entertaining, but this one definitely is,乌鸦传媒� Thomson said, noting that some OSO performances could be considered more thought-provoking or demonstrative than for the sheer purpose of entertainment.
乌鸦传媒淚 just love this concert. It evokes memories of seeing the movies. It乌鸦传媒檚 just beautiful. It乌鸦传媒檚 really strong music. It will excite everyone who is young and young at heart.乌鸦传媒�
The Music of Harry Potter is at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre at 7 p.m. Oct. 26, Penticton乌鸦传媒檚 Cleland Community Theatre at 2 p.m. Oct. 27 and the Kelowna Community Theatre at 2 p.m. Oct. 28. Special ticket pricing is in effect for these family performances. Tickets are $20.50 for adults, $17 for seniors and $12.50 for students and are available through . As the performance precedes Halloween, audience costumes 乌鸦传媒� Harry Potter related or otherwise 乌鸦传媒� are encouraged.
parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
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