Harbor Theater has a treat in store for music lovers, and those who want to learn more about some of our greatest composers. A new cinematic music series starts with “In Search of Beethoven” (2 hours,18 minutes) on Friday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.

Since the year 2020 is the 250th birthday of Beethoven, the five-part series called “The Great Composers” will celebrate his life with two films, the first one this December, and the last one, “Concerto: A Beethoven Journey,” on Dec. 16, 2020, the actual day he was born.

Other films in the series include “In Search of Mozart,” Friday, Jan. 31, “In Search of Chopin,” Friday, Feb. 28 and “In Search of Hayden,” Friday, March 27. All shows are at 2 p.m. Each film will be shown on or near each composer’s respective birthday as part of a unique year-long celebration of music worldwide.

Written and directed by multi award-winning filmmaker Phil Grabsky and narrated by Juliet Stevenson, the films, presented by Seventh Art Productions, explore each musician in phenomenal detail, including readings of their own letters and the insights of respected historians and musicologists. Each film is accompanied by performances of the composers’ own work brought to life by the world’s leading orchestras and musicians such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Janine Jansen, Lars Vogt, Jonathan Miller, Ronald Brautigam, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the 18th century.

“In Search of Beethoven,” which has been called “one of the finest films ever made about a great musician” (The London Observer) addresses the romantic myth that Beethoven was a heroic, tormented figure battling to overcome his tragic fate of deafness and who searched for his ‘immortal beloved’ yet remained unmarried. It delves beyond the image of the tortured, bad-tempered personality to reveal someone quite different and far more interesting.

The film brings together the world’s leading performers and experts on Beethoven to reveal new insights into this legendary composer; these include Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Roger Norrington, Riccardo Chailly, Claudio Abbado, Ronald Brautigam, Janine Jansen, Lars Vogt and Emanuel Ax among others. In Search of Beethoven is the choice of the Beethoven Haus (Beethoven’s birthplace) as the ‘go to’ film on Beethoven. “Expertise and passion combined,” says The New York Times.

Don’t miss this extraordinary series on music. Doors open at 1:30 for each screening. Tickets are $10 ($8 for members). The Harbor Theater is at 185 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor. For more information about these and other upcoming films, visit www.boothbaycinema.org.