PLAY! a Video Game Symphony 2006 tour

[nmskalmn]

PLAY! A VIDEO GAME SYMPHONY CONCERT SERIES LAUNCHES WORLD TOUR, TAKING OFF IN NORTH AMERICA SPRING 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 25, 2006 - Today, JMP Productions announced the world-premiere for PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, the international concert series with music from a catalogue of blockbuster videogames. The concert will be presented in Chicago at the Rosemont Theater on Saturday, May 27, 2006.

The PLAY! concert at the Rosemont Theater will feature award-winning music from titles such as FINAL FANTASY (R), SILENT HILL (R), BATTLEFIELD 1942 (TM), METAL GEAR SOLID (R), WORLD OF WARCRAFT (R), SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (R), THE ELDER SCROLLS III: MORROWIND (TM) and SHENMUE (TM). Outstanding graphics on large screens above the orchestra accompany the scores, highlighting memorable moments from the video games.

VIP tickets will be available for this performance, offering fans a meet and greet opportunity with composers Jeremy Soule (THE ELDER SCROLLS III: MORROWIND [TM]), Yuzo Koshiro (SHENMUE [TM]), Marty O'Donnell (HALO [TM]), Jason Hayes (WORLD OF WARCRAFT [R]) and others.

The Rosemont Theatre hosts many of the top cultural events in the Chicago area, including lavish Broadway Musicals, world class entertainers, and the renowned Chicagoland Pops Orchestra all set in a luxurious 4,400 seat theatre with 100% unobstructed views of the stage! The 2-hour program produced by Jason Michael Paul, will be conducted by Grammy award winning Arnie Roth, music director and principal conductor of the Chicagoland Pops. This concert is presented by the orchestra in association with Jason Michael Paul Productions.

Says Jason Michael Paul, producer of PLAY!: "I am thrilled with the idea of coming back to Chicago with a bigger and better show. There is a lot of sentimental value since Chicago was the first tour stop for Dear Friends and now is going to be the first tour stop for PLAY!. I am hopeful that this new show will exceed the expectations of video game lovers and music aficionados.".

Says Arnie Roth, music director and principal conductor of PLAY!: “The orchestra and chorus are truly the featured artists, not relegated to a back-up role. Fans are excited to hear the music of the great videogame composers, like Nobuo Uematsu, Jeremy Soule and Akira Yamaoka in a spectacular concert hall, performed by some of the world’s greatest orchestras.".

All tickets including the VIP meet and greet are available at the box office, Ticketmaster locations, by credit card at 312-559-1212 or on the internet at http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1009980.

PLAY! a Video Game Symphony


Update on the schedule:

27 May 2006 - Chicago, IL, USA
14 June 2006 - Stockholm, Sweden
12 July 2006 - Detroit, MI, USA
27 July 2006 - Philadelphia, PA, USA
4 August 2006 - Vienna, VA, USA
30 September 2006 - Toronto, Canada

[sxesven]

Phew, too bad this stuff isn't happening in Europe. Hearing the titles of the games of which songs will be performed (Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, MGS, etc!) and the names of composers available for meet & greets (Jeremy Soule!), I can only find it a pity that I don't live in North America, haha. Excellent stuff.

[nmskalmn]

Originally Posted by sxesven

Phew, too bad this stuff isn't happening in Europe. Hearing the titles of the games of which songs will be performed (Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, MGS, etc!) and the names of composers available for meet & greets (Jeremy Soule!), I can only find it a pity that I don't live in North America, haha. Excellent stuff.

They will play in Europe too.

The only dates announced so far are 27 May 2006 in Chicago, USA and 14 June 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Check the link for updates.

[sxesven]

Eh, Europe, I meant Holland - which will probably not be attended, I guess, haha.

[nmskalmn]

Yasunori Mitsuda is coming to Chicago

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 13, 2006 - Today JMP Productions announced that Japanese video game composer Yasunori Mitsuda is joining PLAY!. His music from Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross will be presented in one exclusive suite in every PLAY! concert world-wide. Yasunori Mitsuda is going to attend the premiere of PLAY! in Chicago on May 27 2006, he will also be joining the meet and greet.

Yasunori Mitsuda is an icon of video game music. His work includes music for productions such as Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Shadow Hearts and Xenosaga. His music for Chrono Trigger alongside with Nobuo Uematsu was the turning point in his career, established him as a composer and made him a well-known musician all over the world.

Says Jason Michael Paul: "Mitsuda-san's music is flavorful and stylish. He has created some of the greatest video game music of all time. To have Mitsuda-san come to the US for our premiere in Chicago is a dream come true. My hope is that the fans will come out and show their appreciation for the distance he has traveled to celebrate with us.".

All tickets for the world-premiere of PLAY! including the VIP meet and greet are available at the box office, Ticketmaster locations, by credit card at 312-559-1212 or on the internet at www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1009980.

Additional tour dates including ticket information are available at the official PLAY! website at www.play-symphony.com/tickets.php. So far, PLAY! concerts have been announced for Chicago, Stockholm, Philadelphia, Vienna (Virginia) and Toronto.

Posting this because there are some Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross fans here.

27 May 2006 - Chicago, IL, USA
14 June 2006 - Stockholm, Sweden
27 July 2006 - Philadelphia, PA, USA
4 August 2006 - Vienna, VA, USA
30 September 2006 - Toronto, Canada

[bulmasman]

OMG!!!! MITSUDA!!!! i would kill to hear his music played live by an orchestra

[nmskalmn]

Titans of video game music to sign autographs

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 25, 2006 - JMP Productions announced today that renowned video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese/American singer and songwriter Angela Aki and Grammy Award-winning maestro Arnie Roth will participate in an in-store autograph signing event at the Tower Records N. Clark Store in Chicago on May 26, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The event takes place as part of the promotion for the premiere of the world tour of "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony" at the Rosemont Theatre on May 27, 2006 and to promote the CD album "More Friends - Music from FINAL FANTASY®," the first truly symphonic live CD of video game music ever recorded outside of Japan.

"Chicago-area fans of video game music are eagerly anticipating the weekend of May 26, 2006", says Jason Michael Paul, producer of PLAY!. "Now they can meet Nobuo Uematsu, Angela Aki and Arnie Roth at Tower Records on Friday night and then attend an amazing live symphonic concert showcasing their work on Saturday evening."

Composer Nobuo Uematsu is especially well known for his work on the FINAL FANTASY® game series. His music has been performed in concerts all over the world, including in "DEAR FRIENDS – music from FINAL FANTASY®," a six-city, seven-show series in Japan which was followed by a North American performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

In 2005, Angela Aki's debut CD, ONE, caught the attention of composer Nobuo Uematsu. He commissioned her to write the theme song "Kiss Me Goodbye" for the latest game title in the series, FINAL FANTASY XII®. Being bilingual, Aki wrote the lyrics for both the Japanese and the English versions of the song. Earlier this year, she performed the music at a concert in Japan, "VOICES - music from FINAL FANTASY," conducted by Arnie Roth, the principal conductor and music director of PLAY!.

Arnie Roth is a Grammy Award-winning artist known for his work with performers Diana Ross, Charlotte Church, Peter Cetera, Art Garfunkel, the Irish Tenors, and Dennis DeYoung. He also has been a long time member of Mannheim Steamroller. Roth served as the music director and conductor for the "Dear Friends" and "More Friends" concerts. Roth has produced and conducted music for many films, and has produced dozens of best-selling CDs, released on American Gramaphone, JVC, Mattel, Warner Bros., Sony, Koch, and Razor & Tie. He received the award for Best Score at the 2003 DVD Premier Awards.

Tickets for the world-premiere of PLAY! are available at the box office, Ticketmaster locations, by credit card at 312-559-1212 or on the internet at www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1009980.

Additional tour dates including ticket information are available at the official PLAY! website at www.play-symphony.com/tickets.php. So far, PLAY! concerts have been announced for Chicago, Stockholm (sold out), Detroit, Philadelphia, Vienna (Virginia) and Toronto.

Titans of video game music to sign autographs