Greenville Symphony to perform with third ‘Harry Potter' movie

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra continues its popular film series with “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” at the Peace Center.

The orchestra will perform John Williams’ score live while the entire 2004 film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.

Performances are scheduled at 1 and 7 p.m. Jan. 11, and 2 p.m. Jan. 12. A limited number of tickets are still available.

This latest screening follows sold-out performances of the first two films in the “Harry Potter” series in 2023 and 2024.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron, centers on the third year at Hogwarts for teenage wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). The year begins badly when Harry learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped Azkaban prison and is supposedly bent on murdering Harry.

A swarm of nasty Dementors is sent to protect the school. Meanwhile, a mysterious new teacher helps Harry learn to defend himself but he may have a secret tie to the fugitive.

Bringing in new audiences

The score will be conducted by American conductor Bruce Kiesling.

Live performances of music with film — referred to as film concerts — have become a prominent feature on the schedule of almost every large- and medium-sized orchestra in the United States. They’re a relatively recent orchestral innovation: 20 years ago, few orchestras offered film concerts.

Film concerts often bring new audiences to the concert hall. Williams’ music scores, with soaring melodies and brassy themes for full orchestra, are among the most popular for film concerts.

The Harry Potter Film Concert series has been seen by more than 3 million fans worldwide since 2016, according to producer Warner Bros. Discovery.