When the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony needed inspiration for their first concert of 2010, it summoned up a special kind of geek magic and put together a performance of fantastical glory. The entire concert features music based on or taken directly from from fantasy books and films, animated features and ... video games.

I’m not sure if this helps to legitimize the fantasy genre as an epically deep source of high caliber art, or if this helps legitimize the dudes in charge of UW-Green Bay’s Symphonic Band as totally awesome. Either way, their newsroom says ...

• The concert will begin with the Symphonic Band performing excerpts from “Symphony No. 1, Lord of the Rings,” by Johan Demeij. The work is based on the books of J.R.R. Tolkien, not the more recent Peter Jackson film trilogy. Those selections will be followed by “New Moon,” Alexandre Desplat’s score from the popular movie Twilight New Moon.
• The combined Wind Symphony/Symphonic Band will turn next to a suite from the Batman film, The Dark Knight, by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Following an intermission will be “Howl’s Moving Castle,” a symphonic fantasy by Joe Hisaishi created for the popular children’s anime classic.
• The evening will close with “Video Games Live Suite,” an arrangement by Ralph Ford of six musical selections from video games: “One Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII; “Myst III Main Theme” from Exile; “Bounty Hunter Theme” from Advent Rising; “Halo Theme” from Halo; “Coronation and Baba Yetu” from Civilization IV; and “Kingdom Hearts.”

If you feel like using dark wizardry to open a magical portal through space and time so you can travel to mythic Green Bay – the concert is on February 27. Fly, you fools!