Musicians of South Carolina’s Greenville Symphony Orchestra.
In Wednesday’s (12/20) Greenville Journal, Paul Hyde writes, “Twenty years ago, few symphony orchestras screened films with live music. Today, film concerts are a prominent feature on the schedule of almost every large and medium-size U.S. orchestra. Last season, the Greenville Symphony sold out two Peace Center concerts for screenings with a live orchestra of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’ Accordingly, the orchestra has scheduled three screenings of the second film in the series, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ with the full ensemble playing John Williams’ tuneful score Jan. 13-14. Tickets are selling at a fast clip. Conductor John Jesensky, returning to lead the orchestra, said film concerts are tremendously popular nationwide, attracting many first-time concertgoers. Many patrons love to cosplay, dressing up like their favorite characters at concerts. ‘What it comes down to is that you’re building a new audience,’ Jesensky said … ‘This is a fantastic way to reach out to young people and others who have never seen a live symphony before.’… The film will be projected in high definition on a 40-foot screen. Among the most popular film concerts nationwide are those that feature the music of Williams, Jesensky said.”
