Al bought these tickets on September 12th.

On Saturday, October 29th, the wait was finally over!

The performance was at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach.

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra always puts on a good show!

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Before the show, Al and I went to dinner at Bahama Breeze Island Grille, which is across the street from Town Center. It was my first time eating there, and it was delicious! We splurged on the Firecracker Shrimp appetizer, and Al had a Lemon Breeze – Very tangy lemonade.

I ate the Jerk Chicken Pasta – Yummy! It was a perfect dish for me – Bowtie pasta; perfectly seasoned, thinly sliced jerk chicken; asparagus; mushrooms; and a Parmesan cream sauce.

Al had the Calypso Shrimp Pasta – Linguine, spicy shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, onions. We both had our plates topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, after dining on Caesar salads.

We will definitely be back – We had no room for dessert!

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Then, on to the show! I proudly wore my “Just A Wizard Girl” T-shirt from my awesome Little, and my new Gryffindor socks! Al and I went to a Halloween party last weekend with our Gryffindor ties and wands!

We had Orchestra seats, about six rows from the stage. It was awesome!

The orchestra was conducted by Benjamin Rous, who seamlessly inserts himself into every performance. We’ve seen several performances conducted by him (The Music of John Williams, Looney Tunes, etc.), and he is so animated and lively. He also takes the time to explain certain aspects of the music – Recurring themes, how notes are put together, and showcasing different parts of the orchestra.

Each of the eight films were showcased, and Rous lauded each composer with high praise. We know John Williams is a genius, but Nicholas Hooper, Alexandre Desplat, and Patrick Doyle are just as amazing.

Rous quoted Desplat, saying that them man considered his score a success if he even attempted to honor John Williams.

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Here’s the rundown of the show. I’ve posted a few links to the music so you can hear a bit of what we did. It was awesome!

Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone

• “Hedwig’s Theme”
• “The Sorceror’s Stone”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

• “Fawkes the Phoenix”
• “Dobby the House Elf”
• “Gilderoy Lockhart”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

• “Fireworks”
• “Flight of the Order of the Phoenix”

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

• “Harry and Hermione”

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

• “Journey to the Cave”
• “Dumbledore’s Farewell”
• “Weasley Stomp”

Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone

• “Nimbus 2000”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

• “Voldemort!”
• “Quidditch World Cup (The Irish)”
• “Potter Waltz”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

• “Hogwarts’ Hymn”
• “Hogwarts’ March”

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• “Double Trouble” (featuring the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus)

– Intermission –

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• “Witches, Wands, and Wizards”
• “The Knight Bus”
• “A Bridge To The Past”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

• “Obliviate”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

• “Lily’s Theme” (featuring Sarah Haigh, soprano)
• “Courtyard Apocalypse”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

• “The Chamber of Secrets”

Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone

• “Harry’s Wondrous World”

Encore!

• “Aunt Marge’s Waltz”

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It was awesome to see a few fellow Harry Potter nerds at the show – Shelby and her husband, Jake, and Kristi and Tiana!

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Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂