'PLAY!' Video Game Orchestral Concert Series Announced

Concert producer JMP Productions has announced that PLAY!, a symphony concert series with music from a catalogue of blockbuster video game titles will tour the world, starting in North America in April 2006. Arnie Roth, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Chicagoland Pops will serve as Principal Conductor and Music Director for this concert series, and the team behind PLAY! were the producers of the first 'Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy' concert held May 10, 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA. The PLAY! concert series, which has similarities to the recently troubled Video Games Live concert series, will be performed by full orchestra and choir, will feature award-winning music from titles such as Final Fantasy, Battlefield 1942, World Of WarCraft, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Large screens above the orchestra will accompany the scores, highlighting memorable moments from the video games. "As the most experienced team in the field of video game music concerts we will present the ultimate tour to the fans," says series producer Jason Michael Paul. "Our concerts will feature many brand new arrangements done by the original composers themselves. We will focus on celebrating video game music like never before." Initial plans involve both North American concerts and also some concerts to be held outside the U.S., and further information on specific dates for the concert series will be announced at the official PLAY! website in the near future.