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K-State Today

March 2, 2012

Meaningful music: Benefit concert March 10 features music inspired by literary works

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Literary themes and characters will be put to music at the Hallows and Horcruxes Ball 5: A Wizard Rock Concert for Literacy at Kansas State University.

A benefit concert to help raise money for children's literacy, the event will be from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 10, at the K-State Alumni Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

"This year's benefit concert expands its focus to include music about other popular series that have captured readers' imaginations," said Karin Westman, head of the department of English. "The bands will perform songs inspired not only by Rowling's Harry Potter series, but also by Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy.

"This music, like wizard rock, celebrates reading, but it also raises awareness of key themes shared by the books: the importance of community and social justice," she said.

The concert will feature performances by several bands, including Alex Carpenter, Ministry of Magic, Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills, Lauren Fairweather, Tonks and the Aurors, The Whomping Willows, and Gred and Forge.

The proceeds from the concert will benefit FirstBook, a nonprofit organization that provides disadvantaged children with books, with funds specifically targeting the local FirstBook advisory board of Geary County. Last year's event raised $1,700 for the cause.

"It's great to see the amount of support that we get from the bands and fans," said Orlando Dos Reis, co-president of the university's Children's and Adolescent Literature Community and graduate student in English, Red Hook, N.Y. "The concert brings awareness and support to the issue of literacy, which I think we take for granted sometimes. It's great to be part of a group that can do that while immersing in such a unique subculture as wizard rock."

Admission is free for K-State students with a valid Wildcat ID and $12 for the general public. Tickets are available for K-State students from the department of English, 108 English/Counseling Services Building. Tickets for the general public, along with more information about the event, are available online at http://www.k-state.edu/chalc/HHBall.html. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the night of the concert.

The event is co-sponsored by the department of English, the Children's and Adolescent Literature Community, the Dow Chemical Multicultural Resource Center at Hale Library, the Student Governing Association, the K-State Harry Potter Alliance and the Manhattan Music Coalition.