Off to hear the wizard: A.F. Symphony presents 'Christmas Celebration with Harry Potter'

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Tired of hearing "Jingle Bell Rock" play over and over on the radio? The American Fork Symphony Orchestra has just the cure for your jingle problem.

On Monday, the orchestra will present "A Christmas Celebration with Harry Potter," with Dr. Terry Hill conducting.

"The music for this Christmas concert," Hill said, "draws from the movies, Broadway, German hymns, beloved Christmas carols and Harry Potter pieces."

The symphony will feature traditional Christmas melodies like "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas" and "Deck the Halls."

A variety of other seasonal songs will be played by the symphony orchestra including numbers from Broadway such as "Pine Cones and Holly Berries" and "March of the Toys." Music from movies like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "The Polar Express" also will be played.

The symphony's annual Christmas concert will include songs from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Christi Babbitt, a flute player who has been with the orchestra for nine years, said the "Harry Potter Waltz" is one of her favorite songs being played because it reminds her of the Yule Ball scene in the Harry Potter movie.

"The music portrays the awkward love moment in the movie," Babbitt said. "This piece is pretty, but silly at the same time."

The other Christmas songs being played, Babbitt said, feature percussion arrangements which create an energetic, jazzy twist to the traditional music. Hill decided upon "A Christmas Celebration with Harry Potter" so the concert this year could be more family oriented. Hill has conducted a concert featuring Harry Potter arrangements before and said it was quite successful.

Hill, who has worked with the Mormon Symphony, said he tried to pattern the orchestra's concerts after the various performances of the Mormon Symphony.

In the past, Hill has seen the success of concerts that appeal to families. Last year, Hill said the orchestra performed Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and had to turn away more than 200 people from the concert.

Maxine Steele, the president of the Utah Valley Symphony board and a violin player, said she likes the more classical music, but enjoys the whimsical side of the Harry Potter arrangements.

Steele is one of many musicians who has been a member of the American Fork Symphony since it began 13 years ago. The symphony features about 85 members from around Utah County.

The talent of these musicians is what has kept Hill coming back for five years. Although he lives in Las Vegas, the conductor drives up every Friday so the orchestra can practice on Saturdays.

"The orchestra is so good that I can do the advanced literature," Hill said. "They can play nearly anything I want to do such as Beethoven, Mozart, John Williams, etc."

If you go:

American Fork Symphony

What: "A Christmas Celebration With Harry Potter"

Where: American Fork High School Auditorium, 510 N. 600 East, American Fork

When: Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $3 per person, $10 per family

Info: www.americanforksymphony.org

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