Heroes: A Video Game Symphony to Kick-Off World Tour on Aug. 11th, 2023
The highly anticipated video game music concert “Heroes: A Video Game Symphony” will kick off its world tour with a concert on August 11, 2023 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Handel Choir of Baltimore. Additional concerts include the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (their first time doing a video game music concert) on September 16-17 and the Atlanta Symphony on September 21- 22; many more dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Jason Michael Paul – the producer and creator of the first stateside FINAL FANTASY concerts, The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concerts, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concerts, and Founder of JMP Entertainment – envisioned the “Heroes” experience to take audience members on a heroes journey, as set forth by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth – a narrative framework that can be seen in many of the games, film, and books throughout history. Each stage in the monomyth is a chapter in our story, and each game/musical selection was chosen primarily for its suitability in the chapter where it is featured. Everyone’s story is the story of a hero, told through the amazing worlds of other heroes, in an unforgettable experience that is not to be missed.
JMP Entertainment is celebrating its 20th anniversary since its inaugural video game music concert series with Dear Friends: Music from FINAL FANTASY; Paul has produced over 300 video game music concerts since the inaugural stateside performance in 2004. A seasoned concert producer who is known for staging concerts worldwide for notable artists such as Luciano Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Paul realized that if philharmonic regulars set aside their preconceived notions about gaming culture, they could appreciate the rich musical virtuosity and magic of video game soundtracks. His vision was spot-on, and he has created a global phenomenon over the past two decades.
“It’s beyond wonderful to celebrate our 20th anniversary with this unparalleled ‘Heroes’ concert series,” notes Paul. “The narrative of the Hero is so fundamental to our human experience, and these incredible video games symphonic pieces bring that rich tapestry to life.”
For the “Heroes” concert series, a 70-piece orchestra will be joined by a choir to perform new arrangements of a variety of songs from multiple video game franchises. Represented titles will include FINAL FANTASY, Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, Portal 2, BioShock, Guild Wars 2, Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls, Blades: The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Mass Effect, Dear Esther, Journey, God of War, Dragon Age, Shadow of the Colossus and more. The series promises to be an entirely new music concert format and the definitive concert experience for video game enthusiast and music afficionados alike.
Moreover, the concert story is narrated by BAFTA award winner, Nigel Carrington, from the popular video game “Dear Esther” and a host of other credits. Also, the concerts will feature special arrangements of Fallout, Blades: The Elder Scrolls, and Dragon Age, composed and arranged with the participation of series composer Inon Zur. Zur notes, “I’m so honored and pleased to have my music performed at the amazing ‘Heroes: A Video Game Symphony’ concert. To have some of the finest orchestras in the world perform my music is a dream come true.”
