GRAND RAPIDS, MI --Grand Rapids Symphony was among the first orchestras in the world to present "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" after the series debuted in June 2016.
It since has become a worldwide phenomenon.
While that first Harry Potter Film Concert sold out three performances in DeVos Performance Hall, there are still tickets available for this weekend's three performances of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on Sept. 29-30.
Cars fly, trees fight back, and monsters are on the loose in Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The concert relives the magic of the young wizard's second year at school -- with the wonder of talking spiders, scolding letters and giant snakes.
The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, created by CineConcert in conjunction with Warner Bros. and the Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling, presents the original film in high-definition on a 40-foot screen while John Williams' unforgettable musical score is played live.
Last season's debut drew more than 7,000 to the Grand Rapids Pops' performance of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in January.
CineConcerts founder and conductor Justin Freer, who has appeared previously in DeVos Hall with the Grand Rapids Symphony, said all eight Harry Potter films eventually will be presented together with live musical performances.
"I think that John Williams is one of the great geniuses of all music, not just film," Freer said in an interview on Pottermore.com last year. "He's a monolithic giant in our craft, in our art-form, and he's given us such memorable melodies. Between J.K.'s creations and John's creations, what a wonderful marriage."
Guest conductor Nicholas Buc, who was in DeVos Performance Hall for the debut of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series last season, returns for the second installment in the series.
Tickets, starting at $18, are available but going fast for three shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a matinee at 2 p.m. Saturday. Call (616) 454-9451 or go online to GRSymphony.org
The lobby of DeVos Performance Hall will be decorated in trappings of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Guests can take photos with a Sorting Hat or sample Butterbeer, which will be sold in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.
Free wands will be handed out to the first 500 at each show. Members of the Grand Valley State University Quidditch Team will meet and greet Harry Potter fans.