Kids and the composer

Deirdre Newman

The magic of music transported 2,500 Orange County students to the

wondrous world of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on Thursday

at the Performing Arts Center.

If you closed your eyes, you could imagine Potter flying back and

forth during a heated game of Quidditch as an orchestra led by David

Warble played selected suites from the movie.

The concert, sponsored by the Philharmonic Society, taught the

sixth-graders musical terms such as major and minor keys in the

context of characters and scenes from the movie.

“I don’t believe entertainment is a dirty word in education,”

Warble said. “It has its place, but it has to be a delicate balance.

I think ours is good. We have fun.”

The fun was compounded Thursday by composer John Williams, who

scored the Harry Potter movie and is now working on the second

installment. While Williams said the challenge of composing music to

accompany magical characters was daunting, he enjoys the opportunity

to see children react to his music.

“It’s such a bonus and a pleasure and privilege,” said Williams,

who also scored classic films like “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost

Ark,” “E.T.,” “Jaws” and countless others. “When you do this for the

film, you don’t think about the music beyond the life of the film.”

The society is sponsoring four concerts -- two Thursday and two

today. About 462 Newport-Mesa Unified students attended Thursday’s

concerts.