Experience the Magic of Harry Potter with your Illinois Symphony Orchestra!

Experience the Magic of Harry Potter with your Illinois Symphony Orchestra!
 
Prepare to be spellbound! Take a fantastic magical journey with your Illinois Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Taichi Fukumura, as they perform some of the most iconic pieces of music from the Harry Potter series. Wear your finest robes and come as your favorite witch or wizard for a night brimming with wonder and delight, perfect for wizards and Muggles of all ages.
 
“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!” Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
 
Board the train at Platform 9 ¾ to the Magical Music of Harry Potter at 7:30 PM on Friday, March 7, 2025, at the UIS Performing Arts Center in Springfield, Illinois and Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the ISU Center for the Performing Arts in Normal, Illinois.
 
Accio tickets! Tickets may be purchased in Springfield through the UIS Ticket Office at (217) 206-6160 or in Bloomington-Normal through the ISU Center for the Performing Arts at (309) 438-2535. You can also order tickets online at ilsymphony.org/harrypotter. Single ticket prices range from $10 for students (24 & under) to $70 for premium seating.
 
Magical Music of Harry Potter is sponsored by season sponsors The Landmark Automotive Group and Debra & Daniel Brownstone, M.D. and concert sponsors CEFCU, Isringhausen, and Richard & Phyllis Cheaney.
 
Taichi Fukumura is a rising Japanese-American conductor acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and musical finesse. He is the Second Prize Winner of The Mahler Competition 2023 and a four-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award 2021-2024.
 
Fukumura was recently named Music Director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, following two guest conducting appearances as part of an international search. He begins his role in the 24/25 season as the fifth music director in the orchestra’s history.
 
Other 24/25 highlights include guest conducting debut with the Bamberg Symphony, and returning to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as guest conductor after leading the orchestra in over 110 concerts as Assistant Conductor appointed by Music Director Robert Spano. Fukumura is also Music Director Finalist of the Eugene Symphony, Delaware Symphony, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and will guest conduct each during the 24/25 season. Additionally, he will return to the Aspen Music Festival as guest assistant conductor for the opening week of summer 2024.
 
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO), led by Music Director Taichi Fukumura, is central Illinois’ largest professional orchestra serving over 35,000 patrons in the communities of Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and the surrounding region with symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, and Concerts for Kids series in each community. In addition to concert performances, the Orchestra's music education and outreach programs serve pre-K and elementary schools through the Itsy Arts and Music Matters education programs and reach middle schools, high schools, universities, community organizations and senior centers through guest artist residencies and musician and ensemble performances. The ISO also has an active Sips & Sounds Summer Concert Series, Around the Town Chamber Music Series and the Beyond the Stage concert experience. The Illinois Symphony Orchestra has a budget of approximately $1.4 million.
 
In July 2020, the ISO acquired the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony (SVYS) started in the early 1970s by parents, music teachers and musicians to keep string instrument education and a youth orchestra in Springfield and surrounding communities following the elimination of all school orchestra programs. Now, the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestras (ISYO) programs consist of Starter and Junior Strings, Preparatory Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra serving over 300 students. The ISO also has a partnership in education and community engagement (PEACE) with the UIS-School of Music and Illinois State University’s Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts and School of Music.
 
Additional information about the Illinois Symphony Orchestra is available at www.ilsymphony.org.
 
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.