Why this conductor wants you to forget about the orchestra

If audience members forgot the orchestra was there, conductor Bruce Kiesling says that's a compliment.

Last weekend, 78 members of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra performed Nicholas Hooper's score for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at the Steven Tanger Center as the movie played on the big screen.

Kiesling has conducted 43 Harry Potter concerts and has led productions across the country, from Boston to San Diego and even Hawaii.

An audience member once apologized to Kiesling after a performance, telling him he stopped noticing the orchestra after the first 15 minutes.

"And I always say no, no - it's because we did our job," Kiesling said. "We helped bring you into the story. You were immersed in the film, and if you noticed us too much, then maybe we weren't doing our job."

That immersion is what makes film concerts unique. While audiences experience the movie on screen, musicians must constantly adapt to the film's pace, matching every cue and transition in real time.

And it's interactive: Kiesling said many members of the audience dressed up as their favorite characters from the Harry Potter books.

"This happens everywhere, but Greensboro has a group of particularly energetic and devoted fans that show up fully decked out in the costumes, complete with makeup, accessories, magic wands and more," he said.

Kiesling was a resident conductor at the Greensboro Symphony from 2001 to 2009. Currently he serves as a music director for symphonies in Michigan and California. He said it's always a joy to return to Greensboro and work with good friends.

"This is really quite a special place, with a special energy and life in the orchestra," he said.

While "Order of the Phoenix" does not present an unusual number of technical challenges, Kiesling said performing any film score live requires constant focus. Musicians must balance storytelling through music while keeping pace with the movie's unrelenting tempo.

Kiesling believes the fifth film's score stands out because it reflects the series' increasingly mature themes. As Harry and his friends grow older, the music evolves with them.

"In some ways, the music is more mysterious and more evocative, and less sort of early Disney magic," he said.

Despite nearly two decades having passed since the release of the final Harry Potter novel, the franchise remains popular with both children and adults. According to HarryPotter.com, as of 2020, an estimated one in 15 people worldwide owned at least one of the books.

"I think the stories work, because yes, there's goblins and witches and ghosts and magic in them, sure," Kiesling said, "but ultimately they are stories about someone who didn't have a family and who finds a family."

Kiesling believes that emotional core, brought to life through J.K. Rowling's storytelling and the score's rich symphonic palette, is what resonates most with audiences.

This was the fifth Harry Potter concert presented in Greensboro. The symphony orchestra has been performing J.K. Rowling's titles in order, beginning with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," in May 2021.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 9:43 AM.