A symphony of suds, films

Want to combine symphonic music and beer? Here’s the drill:

• Show up at the Maestro’s Brew Party tent in the parking lot of the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, anytime after 5 p.m. Friday. A ticket is only $5, as long as you also buy a ticket to the symphony concert.

• Enjoy five microbrew samples. Make sure one of them is the Maestro’s Brew, brewed to Music Director Eckart Preu’s specifications by the Coeur d’Alene Brewing Co. Quaff your beers and enjoy live music in the beer-garden atmosphere. Mon Cheri, an indie-pop-jazz band, will play.

• At 7 p.m., head into the Fox and take in the Spokane Symphony’s concert, “The Best of the Movie Music of John Williams.” You’ll hear music from “Star Wars,” “Hook,” “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Superman,” to name just a few.

Some “Star Wars” characters, from a local chapter of a “Star Wars” enthusiast group called the 501st Legion, will make an appearance in costume. Eckart Preu – not in costume – will conduct.

• When the concert is finished, head back out to the beer garden, which will remain open until about 10:30 p.m. The Spokane String Quartet will play. Whistle the “Star Wars” theme while you are wetting your whistle.

And people thought that symphonic music and frothy adult beverages couldn’t go together.

You can do the concert alone, by buying a concert ticket ($20, $30 and $40) and skipping the beer garden. Or you can do the beer garden alone, for a $15 admission fee (which also includes the five beer samples).

Both the beer party and the concert are special fundraisers for the symphony.