It’s a busy and eclectic October for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, which will bring Harry Potter, Joni Mitchell’s music and the dramatic sound of Rachmaninoff to TCU Place. The trio of concerts begins with the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 1.30 and 7:30 p.m., on Oct. 7. A huge orchestra of about 80 musicians will play the full soundtrack, says the SSO’s director of marketing and communications, Megan Grier.

“Concerts with films are like the best surroundsound movie you’ve ever experienced,” she said. “Harry Potter will play on the big screen above the stage, and the orchestra below will play the backing track to the whole film. It still has all the original characters’ voices, but the orchestra is providing the soundtrack live.” The SSO has partnered with TCU Place and CineConcerts, which has a team of conductors travelling around the world conducting these shows.

“They work with a local orchestra every time and know the ins and outs of the movie’s soundtrack. We’re in good hands,” Grier said. The conductor, she explained, follows a click track and watches a special monitor showing upcoming scenes to keep the orchestra on track. “They make sure those explosion sounds happen at just the right moment so the magic of the moment isn’t lost,” she said. “We’ve done a few of these kinds of concerts with movies like Frozen, The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Little Mermaid. Next January, we are also doing Disney’s The Lion King In Concert Live to Film.” Some people get involved in the film at these events, while others enjoy watching the orchestra, she added.

“However you enjoy the show, it’s incredible to realize what a difference the live orchestra makes.” If parents allow their children to see Harry Potter films, this is a great family show and the matinee won’t run past bedtime, Grier noted. “We also encourage people to dress up for these concerts and we love seeing all the great outfits kids, and adults, put together.” The Harry Potter show cannot be livestreamed, Grier noted, although the other two concerts will be. Next up is Rachmaninoff Romance featuring pianist Lucille Chung, pianist and rising conductor Yue Bao at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21. “We’re excited to have conductor Yue Bao make her debut on our stage,” Grier said. “She truly is a rising star as she’s quickly made a name for herself in the last couple of years.

“She’s been in high demand, so we were delighted that she was able to fit us into her ever-growing conducting schedule.” The SSO has also been trying to get pianist Lucille Chung on stage for years. She, too, is an in-demand performer known for her “stylish and refined sound.” “The stars have finally aligned and she’s making her SSO debut. Chung is a prolific pianist and we can’t wait to hear what she does with Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” The piece is popular because it includes a little bit of everything rolled in to 20 minutes. Some variations are a few minutes long and some are as short as a few seconds. “It takes the original melody and reinterprets it over and over again in a variety of styles — some with flashy finger work, and some lush romantic moments.”

The SSO will also play Antonin Dvořák’s 7th Symphony, which has “moments of spirit, moments of tenderness, and is full of fantastic melodies playing around the theme. It is considered his greatest symphony and you get why when you hear it,” Grier said. The concert opens with the hymnbased Worship: A Concert Overture by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, an American composer who wrote for everything from ballet and film to arranging for artists like Marvin Gaye. The final October concert is A Case of You: Sarah Slean sings Joni Mitchell at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28. It’s appropriate timing, in celebration of Mitchell’s 80th birthday this year. “The original Joni Mitchell show with Sarah Slean started right here in Saskatoon with the SSO,” Grier said.

ith Vince Mendoza, the composer and conductor who created the orchestral arrangements for Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now and Travelogue albums, and singer Sarah Slean for several years to put together the show we did in 2018. “It was the first time these orchestrations were performed live. Since then, Slean has partnered with other orchestras around North America to tour that fabulous show. “Slean brings her own rich sound and incredible skill as a performer to the stage. It’s hard to imagine anyone else filling in for Mitchell at this point. “For Mitchell’s 80th birthday, we wanted to celebrate her, and her incredible music, by bringing this concert back with some fantastic new updates.”

There will be some repeats, Grier added, “but with Mitchell’s blessing Vince Mendoza is allowing us to perform other selections from Both Sides Now and Travelogue, as well as some arrangements that never made it onto the albums.” With 65 musicians backing her, Slean will be singing classics like A Case of You, Both Sides Now, River, Blue, and Circle Game. “Mitchell has given so much to music, and what better place to celebrate her than her hometown of Saskatoon,” said Grier.

-Joanne Paulson