Story and Video: Wheeling Symphony Returns to Magical World of ‘Harry Potter’

Oct-19-2026-1792428032_3112879

WHEELING - The Capitol Theatre in Wheeling is set to become a Hogwarts branch campus on Halloween weekend as the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra presents "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert."

The WSO will perform John Williams’ music from the movie live on stage and in sync with the film while the motion picture is shown on a high-definition, 40-foot screen in the theater for the audience to enjoy.

Magic unfolds at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.

"This is the fifth movie project that we’ve done at the WSO - one each year over the last half decade," said Wheeling Symphony Orchestra Music Director John Devlin.

The wildly popular live-score performances for movie soundtracks have been fan favorites each season, as the WSO has brought to life the music of "Jurassic Park," "Star Wars" and the first two "Harry Potter" movies. In each presentation, the dialogue and sound effects remain in the film, while the score is removed from the motion picture’s audio track and is instead performed live by the orchestra.

"This is ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ -- perhaps the most popular and famous of all of the stories, and it’s the last one that John Williams wrote himself," Devlin said. "So we’re celebrating his special music as well as the story and the fandom around it here at the Capitol."

Devlin described Williams as "probably the greatest American composer of all time, noting that this WSO season marks a year-long celebration of the man and his many great works as Williams marks his 95th birthday. The music composed by Williams for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score - one of the 54 Academy Award nominations he has received over the course of his musical career in motion pictures.

Like many other fans, Devlin said the world of "Harry Potter" holds a special place in his heart, as well. He noted that in his youth, he and his sisters would eagerly line up outside the book store on dates whenever a new novel in the J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series was released.

"That joy 30 years later comes back full circle when we’re doing an experience like this," Devlin said of the upcoming concert. "Generations of audience members have loved these stories, and we’re going to bring them to life in three dimensions with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra here."

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert" celebrates 25 years since the first "Harry Potter" movie enchanted audiences of all ages on big screens worldwide in November 2001. The concert also marks the WSO’s return to its home base at the Capitol Theatre for the first time since last season, as the 2026-27 season titled "JOY" truly gets underway with a full slate of Pops and Masterworks concerts.

"This is the first of our seven Capitol Series concerts," Devlin said. "We kicked off the season officially with the Music Under the Stars concert on Labor Day up at Oglebay, but this feels like coming back home."

The concert is sponsored by WVU Medicine, WesBanco and Felton CPA.

"This has traditionally been the biggest thing that the symphony has done - it’s so well-supported by the community and families," said Jessica Moore, associate vice president of foundation and community relations for WVU Medicine. "Because we’re one of the biggest employers in the area - and our patients are going to be in this theater to support it, we thought it would be a great fit for us to put our name on it."

Guests are welcome to come dressed as their favorite "Harry Potter" character that evening, and since the concert takes place on Halloween weekend, the hallowed halls of the historic Capitol Theatre will surely be bustling with wizards, Muggles, Dementors and more.

"Everyone is welcome, and everyone is going to have a great time to come down and see this the night before Halloween," Devlin said.

For tickets and information, visit https://wheelingsymphony.com or www.harrypotterinconcert.com.