A Musical, Magical Night with the Georgia Philharmonic

philharmonic1
Photo by Kari Leigh

There was a packed room at the Hyatt Centennial Saturday at 7PM to listen to the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor John Morrison has served as music director of the Georgia Philharmonic since 2010. For more than a decade, John Morrison has been the executive director of the Georgia Academy of Music, also conducting the chamber orchestra.

The 60-some musicians make up the body of the Georgia Philharmonic. It is a philharmonic in the truest sense of the word: local musicians unite and perform out of their love of music. The artists create classical music experiences that rival those of professional orchestras and delight audiences.

philharmonic2
Photo by Kari Leigh

Tonight was no different. When Morrison came out in a Captain Picard uniform, the crowd went wild. He just smiled and took his place. Yep, he understood Dragon Con.

From the Star Wars opening to the Star Trek encore, the orchestra conveyed a musical tribute to all things Dragon Con: Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Game of Thrones, to name a few.

A major surprise was The Fifth Element. Julie Trammel performed as Diva, appearing all in blue and performing in character. It was truly amazing. Such fantastic range and quality; the audience was transported back to the movie. She had to return for a second bow because the entire audience was on their feet.

This almost two-hour concert came to an end. So many people from the audience hopes there will be a CD created of this musical tribute. It really was a musical, magical night to remember.

Author of the article

Award-winning author Amanda Faith may have been raised in Dayton, but her heart and home is in the South. With a lifelong love of teaching and writing, she had plenty of encouragement from teachers and friends along the way. Loving a good puzzle has always been a fascination, and writing gives her the outlet to put all the pieces together. Being adventurous and loving to try new things, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves in unusual situations. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how they interact, taking them on journeys they would never have normally experienced. Her current adventure working as a high school English professor turned Media Specialist, writing, and doing paranormal investigations doesn’t slow her down from having a great time with a plethora of hobbies. Her published credits include several short stories, poetry, several journal articles, her doctoral dissertation, and her award-winning book Strength of Spirit. With multiple degrees, she has a passion for learning and exploring new venues. She is a staff writer for The Daily Dragon at Dragon Con. Check out her new website (www.amandafaith.net) or on Instagram (@dramandafaith)