The Adrienne Arsht Center presents
Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY
November 23, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.
John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall – Adrienne Arsht Center
Tickets: $35 to $125*
VIP Package: $150* – Includes premier orchestra level seating, a post-show VIP reception, and a meet & greet and photo opportunity with FINAL FANTASY video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, conductor Arnie Roth and guest vocalist Susan Calloway.
“Videos and art stills complement each musical selection and help to remind fans why we fell in love with the music in the first place!” – Game Informer
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is proud to present Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY – a stirring symphonic concert featuring music from the renowned video game series. Following sold-out international performances, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY will make its South Florida premiere on November 23, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. in the Center’s acoustically superb John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, as part of the Arsht Center’s 2013-2104 Knight Masterworks Season Pop Series.
Tickets to Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY range from $35 – $95*. An exclusive $150* VIP package includes: premier orchestra level seating, a post-show VIP reception, and a meet & greet and photo opportunity with FINAL FANTASY video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, conductor Arnie Roth and guest vocalist Susan Calloway. Tickets are available to Arsht Center members beginning April 29 and to the general public beginning May 6. Tickets may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.
Fresh off the 25th anniversary FINAL FANTASY celebration, this concert boasts the iconic music from the entire series as well as a special performance of FINAL FANTASY VI: Dark World featuring Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu as keyboard soloist and Grammy Award-winning music director Arnie Roth as violin soloist. Also highlighted on this incredible program are powerful guest solo performances by beloved and longtime FINAL FANTASY vocalist Susan Calloway.
Uematsu’s music, hailed by TIME magazine’s Christopher John Farley for “…imbuing FINAL FANTASY games with grandeur and depth, much the way John Williams’ score helped propel ‘Star Wars’ into hyperspace,” is sweeping and richly atmospheric. Originally created to enhance the gaming experience of one of the best‐selling video game franchises in history, the compositions have garnered legions of fans of their own.
“As Miami’s home for the performing arts, the Arsht Center is proud to create new, collective experiences for the entire community through a wide variety of artistic programs. Last year’s stirring concert ‘The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses’ successfully introduced many local video game fans to the Center,” said John Richard, President and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “With the South Florida premiere of Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY, we’re delighted to continue bridging the fantastical world of video games with the live performing arts.”
“While originally composed to set the tone for the FINAL FANTASY games, Uematsu’s music is as emotionally compelling and sophisticated as the work of any composer working today”, said Arnie Roth, who has held the baton for all FINAL FANTASY concerts in North America and Europe. “The breadth of his work is astounding, encompassing traditional orchestral and operatic work to pop-inspired ballads. To witness the overwhelming reaction of audiences – and even veteran musicians – to this music is a genuine thrill.”
With a massive ensemble of musicians on stage, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY is a multimedia feast for the ears and the eyes. The concert’s unique multimedia experience combines thrilling screen images to match the soaring emotions of a symphony orchestra performing music from Square Enix’s world-renowned video game series.
Nobuo Uematsu is universally recognized as one of the most celebrated video game composers in the field, having achieved global recognition for his music from the FINAL FANTASY franchise that has been performed by world-class orchestras around the globe. Seen as a major proponent for and contributor to the increasing popularity of live performances of video game music, his song “Eyes on Me,” the theme song from FINAL FANTASY VIII, sold a record number of copies and was the first video game song to win “Song of the Year (Western Music)” at the Japanese Gold Disc Awards in 1999. The music from the game series has grown to such notoriety, Nobuo Uematsu was named as one of the “Innovators” in TIME magazine’s “Time 100: the Next Wave Music” feature.
Music Director Arnie Roth is a Grammy Award-winning artist known for his work with performers including Il Divo, Diana Ross, Jewel, The Irish Tenors, Charlotte Church, Peter Cetera, and Dennis DeYoung. Roth has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the BBC Symphony, the Czech National Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the Detroit Symphony, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony.
Roth is widely-known in the world of video game music for his work with Nobuo Uematsu and Square Enix as Music Director and Conductor of the “Dear Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY,” “More Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY,” “VOICES: music from FINAL FANTASY,” as well as his role as Music Director and Conductor of “PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.” He was the winner of the “Best Score Award” at the 2003 DVD Premier Awards for his score for the film “Barbie” as Rapunzel and was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for his original song “Shine” from the movie “Barbie in The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” Roth has produced dozens of best-selling CDs. For more information, visit www.awrmusic.com.