Harry Potter celebration brings out the kids (in all of us)

They came in with capes, brandishing wands, toting white owls and wearing Harry Potter’s trademark round-eyed glasses. Young and old alike were enchanted by the combined talents of the S.O. Quartet and Flowertown Players in a sold-out performance at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville on the last day of July.

The Summerville Orchestra is all about offering family-friendly experiences that are inviting, inclusive and welcoming, and what better way to welcome our youngest community members to orchestral music than through a birthday celebration of Harry Potter, the world’s most beloved wizard? Accompanying the quartet with a narrative reading was the dynamic Michael Locklair, an accomplished national actor, and founder and long-time director of Charleston County School of the Arts.

Music Director Wojciech Milewski, a Ravenclaw, was bowled over by the overwhelming audience response and delighted by how many young faces were there. “It was incredible to see those smiling faces and hear our audience so engaged in the action! Of course, none of it would have been possible without our beloved Summerville … er-hem … Hogwarts … Quartet. We are already excited for our next event with the Flowertown Players, and making it even bigger and better. Thank you, Summerville!!!”

S.O. Executive Director Andrew Price described it as “a fantastic start to our 19th season. We hope that this concert inspires music lovers to come check out some of the surprising movie soundtracks we will be playing in our subscription series, along with many classical favorites. These are very family-friendly music events!”

To make good on being family friendly, the S.O. offers tickets at greatly reduced prices for children and students for all main-stage orchestra concerts.

The orchestra also performs many free events and concerts throughout the year, including outdoor concerts; Music Chats with Wojciech, held at the Dorchester County Library; and a chamber music series held at Coastal Coffee Roasters. This year, a new free chamber series is planned in collaboration with the Public Works Arts Center.

The Summerville Orchestra seeks to share its love of music by engaging and enriching the community through the orchestral art form. The 75-member orchestra performs an annual subscription series of five concerts at the Summers Corner Performing Arts Center (with $2 tickets for patrons under 18 and $5 day-of tickets for college students), along with free concerts and events throughout the greater Summerville area.

The Flowertown Players are based in the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville, and present six main-stage productions annually and one to two youth productions a year. The players also sponsor special events ranging from live jazz to stand-up comedy.

The James F. Dean Theatre, a 200-seat venue located in the town of Summerville, originated in 1935 as a movie house. It became the Summerville Community Theatre in 1977. In 1990, it was renamed to honor the efforts of James F. Dean in saving the building and purchasing it from the town of Summerville.

For more information about the S.O., contact [email protected] or call (843) 873-5339.