Utah Symphony Announces 2019-20 Season Films in Concert Series

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (May 10, 2019) – As part of its 2019-20 Zions Bank Films in Concert series, the Utah Symphony today announced six blockbuster and award-winning movies on the big screen at Abravanel Hall with the film scores performed live to picture by the orchestra.

The Films in Concert series opens on September 6 and 7, 2019 with the second original installment of the Star Wars Trilogy. The Utah Symphony joins forces with the Rebel Alliance to bring you “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert,” featuring the iconic movie played on the big screen with John Williams’ legendary score performed live to picture. After the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire has regrouped—with Darth Vader leading the hunt for Luke Skywalker.

The series continues on November 1 and 2, 2019 with “Disney in Concert: Coco,” a family-friendly, live-to-picture concert event featuring Michael Giacchino’s beautiful musical score. The Disney Pixar film won Academy Awards® for Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature Film. Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, 12-year-old Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

The holidays lend the series a touch of magic on December 20 and 21, 2019 when Dumbledore’s Army™ prepares for battle and Professor Umbridge takes over Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert,” accompanied by the Utah Symphony. Nicholas Hooper composed the film’s score, following John Williams, who scored the first three films, and Patrick Doyle, who did the fourth.

In 2016, CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, a global concert tour celebrating the Harry Potter films. Since the world premiere of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert” in June 2016, more than 1.3 million fans have enjoyed this magical experience from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, which is scheduled to include over 900 performances across more than 48 countries worldwide through 2019.

Then on February 28 and 29, 2020, audiences are invited to celebrate the 65th anniversary of “Singin’ in the Rain,” called the “Greatest Movie Musical of all time” (American Film Institute), with Arthur Freed’s lyrics and Nacio Herb Brown’s music performed live by the Utah Symphony. The film features award-winning performances from Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds on the big screen as the orchestra plays the music live to picture.

The next film in the series, a winner with audiences and critics alike, is DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” in Concert on April 15, 2020. It is a captivating and original story that combines humor, fire-breathing action and epic adventure. Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes—a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, these unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both their worlds. This acclaimed film is presented in HD, with composer John Powell’s Academy Award®-nominated score performed live to picture by the Utah Symphony, in a thrilling experience for all ages.

The final film in the 2019-20 Films in Concert series takes audiences back into the world of Muggles and witchcraft. Relive the magic of year six in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in Concert” on June 19 and 20, 2020, with the Utah Symphony performing composer Nicholas Hooper’s thrilling Grammy-nominated score. With this film, based on the sixth installment of J.K. Rowling’s classic saga, fans of all ages can experience the thrilling tale of Harry’s obsession with a mysterious potions book accompanied by the music of a live symphony orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen in HD.