A&E Briefs 2/17

Mary Racette

Symphony puts on a magical performance 

All potterheads are welcome to the symphony this weekend. The Grand Rapids Symphony will be recreating the magic of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the six installment in J.K. Rowlings’ series. From Feb. 21-22, the symphony will play as the film plays in high-definition on the theater’s 40-foot screen.

Nicolas Hooper’s original score for the movie captures the magic and drama of the film. The Half-Blood Prince is centered around Harry’s journey as a young wizard as he is trained to battle Voldemort by Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. In addition to Harry’s training, the students at Hogwarts deal with some of the struggles that are experienced by muggles and wizards alike, such as love and friendship. 

Voice faculty performs female composers

Female composers were highlighted in a faculty recital Saturday, Feb. 15. Corie Auger is a voice faculty member at GVSU. She paired with pianist Robert Byrens to perform a recital at the Haas Center for Performing Arts.  

The music of Josephine Lang, Pauline Viardot, Maria Malibran, Libby Larsen and Georgia Stitt was featured in Auger and Byren’s set.  These influential female artists represent music from the 19th century to the 21st century. Lang is a famous composer from the 19th century along with Viardot and Malibran. Larsen and Stitt are composers from the 21st century who are still alive and working. Auger gracefully blended classic and contemporary music by women composers in her recital with Byrens.