Eminence Symphony Orchestra
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The Eminence Symphony Orchestra founded in
Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...
is an independent
symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
which delves into the
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
featured in
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
and
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, as well as
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
s.


History

Eminence was founded in 2003 by a small group of friends, led by the virtuoso solo violinist Hiroaki Yura. The difference in the cultural backgrounds between these friends as well as their differing experiences and qualifications contributed to what would be their first concert. Eminence focuses particularly on the music of notable Japanese
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
and
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
. While the trademark of Eminence is the symphony orchestra, the organisation also delves into smaller-based concerts featuring three to five musicians as well as small ensembles, branded differently under Eminence Artists. More recently, the orchestra has offered their services to a wide range of entertainment media such as video games and anime, including the recording of music for many notable game publishers and developers, and for a number of film scores. These services were initially provided through a Sydney-based business entity, Eminence Group Pty Ltd, while the orchestra continued to operate under its existing name. Awareness of the Eminence brand increased over time, and many opportunities for performances, recording and production services arose in other countries, prompting offices to be established in USA and Japan. This facilitated further work in those countries, particularly in Japan. Australia continues to be the home base for the orchestra, with the majority of recordings being performed in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. Meanwhile, Eminence Group Pty Ltd which represented Eminence Symphony Orchestra and its services through license was placed into voluntary liquidation with an appointed liquidator on 21 December 2010. A resolution to wind up the company was made on the same day. The Eminence Symphony Orchestra continues to operate through Eminence Artists in Australia, Creative Intelligence Arts, Inc. in Japan and Eminence Group North America in the United States of America.


Concerts and performances


''A Night in Fantasia''

Eminence's debut concert, ''A Night in Fantasia'', was held on 31 October and 1 November 2003. It was born out of the idea that such an event had never been done before in Australia. The first of a series of concerts was mainly composed of music from ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' and
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
films, and took place at Sydney Congress Hall with tickets that sold well before the night. The overall success as well as the enthusiastic support of the first concert proved a point to the organisers that such a concept of cultural music would appeal to a wide range of people. At this point the company running the concert was 'Infinity 8LUE', and the orchestra was the 'Infinity 8LUE Symphony Orchestra'.


''A Night in Fantasia 2004''

In 2004, the orchestra was fully formed, and held ''A Night in Fantasia 2004'' at Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on 30 and 31 October. William Motzing became the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Daniel Smith became the Assistant Conductor and ''Final Fantasy'' composer
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Joh ...
was a guest of honour at all four performances. This concert marked the name change for the orchestra, as they became known as the Eminence Symphony Orchestra. Infinity 8LUE was the company behind the concert, and shortly after finalised the name change by becoming Eminence.


''Piano Stories''

Alexey Yemtsov performed the first ''Piano Stories'' concert on 15 April, at Verbrugghen Hall. Featuring work from Studio Ghibli,
Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer of soundtracks for anime series, Video game, video games, Japanese television drama, television dramas and movies. She has written scores for ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Gho ...
and Shirō Sagisu, ''Piano Stories'' marked the beginning of a series of concerts celebrating piano scores from a selection of anime and gaming soundtracks.


''World of John Williams''

2005 saw Eminence present the ''World of John Williams'' concert, held on 8 July at Sydney Town Hall. Phillip Chu and Daniel Smith conducted the Eminence Symphony Orchestra and the Eminence Choir through performance featuring music from one of Hollywood's most recognised composers,
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
. His work from ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'', ''
Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...
'', ''
Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...
'', ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'', ''
Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dar ...
'' and ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...
'' was performed. Daniel Smith conducted the Australian Premiere of "Battle of the Heroes" (from ''Star Wars Episode III'').


''Piano Stories II''

In the same year ''Piano Stories II'' was held at Verbrugghen Hall with Stuart Wright performing pieces from various popular culture
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
and
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
including '' Howl's Moving Castle'', ''
Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel ''Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), Kiki's Delivery Service''. Animated by Studio Ghibli, the film stars Minami ...
'', ''
Voices of a Distant Star is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who are separated when the girl is sent into space to ...
'', ''
Macross Plus is a four-episode anime Original video animation, OVA and theatrical movie in the ''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Macross'' series. It was the first sequel to the original ''Macross'' television series that took place in the official ...
'' and '' Noir''. The Eminence Quartet also appeared on the night. The concert was held on 6 August at Verbrugghen Hall.


''Destiny: The Dream Time Ensemble''

Later on in 2005 Eminence presented ''Destiny: The Dream Time Ensemble''. Held at Verbrugghen Hall and the National Theatre, This marked the debut of a performance outside of Sydney, as the city of
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in Australia witnessed the 9 member elite
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
ensemble group perform music from a variety of composers. These included Joe Hisaishi, Nobuo Uematsu, Michiru Oshima, Shirō Sagisu and
Toshihiko Sahashi is a Japanese composer. He graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1986. Sahashi has composed music for various anime series (including OVAs, films, and drama CDs), video games, films, dramas, and musicals. His work ...
. The concert also marked the first time Eminence utilised footage from the original films, games and television serials in alongside the music. The members of Destiny were: Hiroaki Yura (Violin), Ayako Ishikawa (Violin), Christian Boennelykke (
Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
), Kenichi Mizushima (
Violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...
), Hanae Seto (
Clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
), James Fortune (
Flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
), Joshua Hill (
Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
), Chiron Meller (Percussion) and Jem Harding (Piano).


''A Night in Fantasia 2005''

A Night in Fantasia 2005 saw a large change in venue, this time to be held at the Sydney Town Hall. Philip Chu became Chief Conductor and the night's music programme also saw fresh changes (due to the work of the AV Director and co-producer) with the inclusion of many popular anime and video game titles including '' Final Fantasy VII'', '' Kingdom Hearts'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' Neon Genesis Evangelion'', '' Onimusha'', ''
Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...
'', ''
Fruits Basket , sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese manga magazine , published by Hakusensha, from 1998 to 2006. The series' title comes from ...
'', ''
Super Mario (also known as and is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every ma ...
'', ''
The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'', '' Tsubasa Chronicle'', '' Gran Turismo'', '' InuYasha'', ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'', '' Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War'' and ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...
''. The event wrote history by hosting the World Premiere of the
World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...
Suite, and again saw the use of footage from the original titles alongside the music. The concert featured the Eminence Choir which assisted the wider music selection greatly.


''Piano Stories III''

In 2006 Eminence brought the next chapter in the concert series Piano Stories. Featuring acclaimed pianist Alexey Yemtsov who had performed previously in the first ''Piano Stories'', the night highlighted Studio Ghibli and ''Final Fantasy'' pieces. Special guest violinists Hiroaki Yura and Ayako Ishikawa were present, and was held on 15 April in Melbourne's National Theatre and on 22 April in Sydney's Verbrugghen Hall.


''Spirited Away with Youmi''

This concert was designed to run alongside ''A Night in Fantasia 2006''. ''Spirited Away with Youmi'' was held on the same day as Melbourne's concert and also took place on 6 July in Sydney. Youmi Kimura performed songs from ''
Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese Anime film, animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toho.Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated historical drama, historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, the film follows Ashitaka, a young Emishi prince who journeys west to cure his curs ...
'' and '' My Neighbor Totoro'' among others.


''A Night in Fantasia 2006''

''A Night in Fantasia 2006'' was held on 2 July in Melbourne Town Hall and 7 July in Sydney Town Hall. The concert featured music from ''Final Fantasy'', ''Shadow of the Colossus'' and Studio Ghibli, and also welcomed special guest Youmi Kimura, the composer of both the ''Spirited Away'' and ''Howl's Moving Castle's'' ending themes. It also featured Hiroaki Yura on violin and Phillip Chu as conductor. The concert also premiered music from the newest addition to the ''Final Fantasy'' series, ''
Final Fantasy XII is a 2006 role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in March 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series ...
'' and was the world's first symphonic concert to be accompanied by footage from Studio Ghibli films.


''Piano Stories IV''

Eminence's newest addition to the Piano Stories series featured pianist Krzysztof Malek performing pieces from a number of video game titles including ''
Tetris ''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...
'', the ''Final Fantasy'' series, '' Xenogears'', ''The Legend of Zelda'' and ''
Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...
'' as well as a number of anime titles including '' Noir'', ''My Neighbour Totoro'', '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''
Azumanga Daioh is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized from February 1999 to May 2002 in the monthly magazine ''Dengeki Daioh'' by MediaWorks (publisher), MediaWorks; three additional c ...
'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''
Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June ...
'' and '' Gundam SEED Destiny''. Eminence also announced a mystery guest artist that would appear alongside Krzysztof Malek, which would later be revealed to be Ayako Ishikawa on the violin. The Melbourne performance was part of the
Manifest Manifest may refer to: Computing * Manifest file, a metadata file that enumerates files in a program or package * Manifest (CLI), a metadata text file for CLI assemblies Events * Manifest (convention), a defunct anime festival in Melbourne, Au ...
convention, and was held in Melba Hall within
The University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...
on 23 September. Sydney's concert took place in Verbrugghen Hall within the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on 14 October.


''Passion''

Eminence announced a new concert series that began in December featuring Ayako Ishikawa and Hiroaki Yura on violin and also featured Natalia Raspopova on piano, Joshua Hill on percussion and Zane Banks on the
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
. On their minisite for the concert, Eminence announced that they collaborated with Japanese video game composers
Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer and musician. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', '' Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own ...
and Hitoshi Sakimoto, whose work was featured alongside other notable anime and video game titles. The concert was held in Melbourne on 9 December at the Merlyn Theatre, followed by Sydney on 16 December at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, finally ending with Eminence's debut Singapore concert on 23 December and was held at the Victoria Concert Hall. Yasunori Mitsuda was a special guest of honour for all three performances, and also played the
bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', , from Greek , from Turkish ) is a musical instrument popular in West Asia (Syria, Iraq), Europe and Balkans (Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey). It is a member of the long-necked lute fam ...
. Hitoshi Sakimoto also joined him as a guest, though only at the Sydney performance. The concert featured music from games such as ''
Chrono Trigger is a 1995 role-playing video game by Square. It was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the first entry in the ''Chrono'' series. The game's development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dr ...
'', ''
Chrono Cross is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is set in the same world as ''Chrono Trigger'', which was released in 1995 for t ...
'', '' Vagrant Story'', ''Final Fantasy XII'', ''
Xenosaga ''Xenosaga'' is a role-playing video game series developed by Monolith Soft and primarily published by Namco. Forming part of the wider ''Xeno (series), Xeno'' metaseries, ''Xenosaga'' is set in a science fiction universe and follows a group of ch ...
'', '' Shadow of the Colossus'' and ''Super Mario Bros.'' The anime pieces came from a number of sources including '' Haibane Renmei'', ''Tsubasa Chronicle'' and '' .hack//Liminality''.


''A Night in Fantasia 2007: Symphonic Games Edition''

First announced at their Passion concert, Eminence chose to split their annual concert series into two performances, the first of which solely focused on video games. The concerts took place at Sydney Town Hall on 20 and 21 April 2007, and the concert in Melbourne was performed in Hamer Hall on 27 April 2007. Special guest composers included Hitoshi Sakimoto, Junichi Nakatsuru and Masaru Shiina, present at all of the concerts. Yoko Shimomura was also slated to appear at all concerts, but was prevented from attending the Melbourne concert for unknown reasons. In addition,
Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer and musician. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', '' Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own ...
, Kow Otani and Shirō Hamaguchi joined the aforementioned composers as guests in both Sydney performances. The concert featured music from '' Super Mario Bros.'', ''
Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...
'', the '' Metal Gear Solid'' series, the ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' series, ''
World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...
'', '' Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'', '' Shadow of the Colossus'', ''
Tales of Legendia is an action role-playing game that was developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. It is the tenth main title in their ''Tales (video game series), Tales'' series. Originally released in Japan in August 2005, it was later made avai ...
'', '' Xenosaga Episode 1'', '' Soulcalibur 3'', '' Odin Sphere'', '' Legend of Mana'' and '' Deltora Quest'', with "Time's Scar" from ''
Chrono Cross is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is set in the same world as ''Chrono Trigger'', which was released in 1995 for t ...
'' featured as encores in both Sydney and Melbourne. However, "One Winged Angel" from '' Final Fantasy VII'' was played as an encore to the Sydney performances, while the Melbourne performance received a repeat of the ''Metal Gear Solid'' theme. The concert also included the Eminence Choir, who last performed in ''A Night in Fantasia 2005''. In addition to video game music, a piece from '' Romeo x Juliet'' and one from '' Final Fantasy VII Advent Children'' was performed.


''Destiny – Reunion''

Accompanying the announcement of Ayako's Violin Recital, was Destiny – Reunion, a continuation of Destiny in 2005, performed on 28 July, including a brand new line up of music from some of the world's most famous video games and anime. Featuring Eminence founder, Hiroaki Yura among the musicians playing, the concert included never-before-heard arrangements exclusive to Destiny – Reunion.


''A Night in Fantasia 2007: Anime Edition''

The second part of the concert series focused entirely on anime, and the programme given out at Passion indicated a 'late 2007' concert date for both Sydney and Melbourne. At the 2007 Symphonic Games Edition concert, questionnaires were handed out, one of which asked attendees to list music found in various anime that they would like to hear in the concert. In October, entertainment website IGN announced the date – two consecutive concerts would be held on 18 November in the Sir John Clancy Auditorium of the
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
. Both concerts would feature music from famous anime including: '' Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Tsubasa Chronicle'', ''Noir'', '' Le Portrait de Petit Cossette'', ''Xenosaga II'', ''Porco Rosso'', ''.hack//Liminality'' and ''
Elfen Lied is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's Seinen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from June 2002 to August 2005, with its 107 chapters collected into twelve volumes. ''El ...
''. Famous Japanese composer and music producer
Yuki Kajiura is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as ''Sword Art Online'', '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', '' Fate/Zero'', ''The Garden of Sinners'', '' Pandora Hearts'', and ...
was the special guest during the concert and participated in a question and answer session with the host. Pamphlets were then handed out, which detailed the next future concert of the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, ''Unearthing Eden''.


''Unearthing Eden ~The sounds of AINARU~''

A follow-up on A Night in Fantasia 2007: Anime Edition, this performance was again a smaller-sized quintet, which featured a collaboration with Japanese composer, Kow Otani and Japanese singer AIKa. The concert was held in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney for two days, but both days saw little audience in the performances.


''A Night in Fantasia 2009''

After two years without having performed a concert of the magnitude of A Night in Fantasia 2007: Symphonic Games Edition, Eminence announced in February on a teaser website their next event, A Night in Fantasia 2009. Performed on 26 September 2009, the concert was held only on one night in Sydney at the
Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre, later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena, was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the ...
. Music featured included suites from ''
DEATH NOTE ''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to ...
'', ''
Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated historical drama, historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, the film follows Ashitaka, a young Emishi prince who journeys west to cure his curs ...
'', '' My Neighbor Totoro'' and '' Laputa: Castle in the Sky''. Full pieces performed included James Hannigan's ''Soviet March'' from '' Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3'', '' The Unsung War'' from '' Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War'', ''Tonari Ni'' (Beside Me) from ''
The Idolmaster is a Japanese media franchise that began in 2005 with a Life simulation game, raising simulation and Rhythm game, rhythm video game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The series primarily centers on the career of a pr ...
'' composed by Go Shiina and performed by Chiaki Takahashi, and the world premiere of '' Dragon Age: Origins'' ending theme, ''I Am The One'', sung by Aubrey Ashburn. The majority of the arrangements were created by ''AFRIKA'' composer Wataru Hokoyama. Other guests included Kow Otani and AIKA Tsuneoka, who performed a suite from '' Shadow of the Colossus'', Inon Zur,
Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer and musician. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', '' Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own ...
and Cris Velasco.


Other performances


Australian PlayStation 3 media launch

On 22 February 2007,
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
held the Australian media launch for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
in Sydney. Announcing Sony's sponsorship of Eminence for ''A Night in Fantasia 2007: Symphonic Games Edition'', the orchestra performed a piece from ''Final Fantasy XII'' and a piece from ''Shadow of the Colossus'' as part of the presentation.


Hillsong Conference

In July 2007, the Eminence Symphony Orchestra performed at the opening ceremony for the Hillsong Conference, an annual mid-year Christian conference held in Sydney, Australia.


Recordings

As well as performing concerts, the Eminence Symphony Orchestra has dedicated time for the recording of various pieces for anime and games.


''Romeo x Juliet''

In December 2006, Eminence recorded the solo instrumental music for the
GONZO Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
anime series '' Romeo x Juliet'', which was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. The soundtrack was recorded at the Trackdown Scoring Stage at Fox Studios in Sydney. In January 2007, Eminence then recorded the full orchestral, string ensemble, chamber ensemble and more solo instrumentals for the anime series.


''GrimGrimoire''

Also in December 2006, solo instrumentals were recorded for the
Vanillaware is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. An independent company, it was founded in 2002 under the name Puraguru by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed ''Princess Crown'' (1997 ...
and Nippon Ichi PS2 game '' GrimGrimoire'' (''グリムグリモア''), which was to be composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto.


''Deltora Quest'' (DS)

Eminence was once again working with Hitoshi Sakimoto in February 2007 for the recording of the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
game, '' Deltora Quest'', and adaptation to the anime based on Emily Rodda's children fantasy books ''Deltora'' series.


''Opoona''

In April 2007, Eminence took part in another recording with Hitoshi Sakimoto for ArtePiazza and Koei's Wii
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
'' Opoona''.


''Senjo no Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles''

In August 2007, Eminence's participated in the recording of
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's ''Senjou no Valkyria'' (aka ''
Valkyria Chronicles ''Valkyria Chronicles'' is a series of military-themed tactical role-playing video games created by Ryutaro Nonaka and Shuntaro Tanaka, and developed by Sega. The series began with '' Valkyria Chronicles'', which was released for the PlayStatio ...
'') for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
.


''Odin Sphere''

Also in August 2007, Eminence worked together with Hitoshi Sakimoto's company, Basiscape, to record '' Odin Spheres original soundtrack.


''The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk''

Based on the classic
Namco Bandai (commonly known as and formerly Namco Bandai until 2015, also known as Bandai Namco Group,) is a Japanese mass media and entertainment conglomerate founded in 2005 by the merger of Namco and Bandai. The company specializes in toys, video ...
game '' The Tower of Druaga'', ''The Aegis of Uruk'', a
GONZO Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
anime television series with its music composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, had its music recorded with Eminence in February 2008.


''Soulcalibur IV''

In April 2008, Eminence recorded the orchestral music for the fourth
Namco Bandai (commonly known as and formerly Namco Bandai until 2015, also known as Bandai Namco Group,) is a Japanese mass media and entertainment conglomerate founded in 2005 by the merger of Namco and Bandai. The company specializes in toys, video ...
video game installment of the ''Soulcalibur'' series, ''
Soulcalibur IV is a 2008 fighting game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As the fifth main entry in the ''Soulcalibur'' series, it marks a significant evolution in gameplay with enhanced graphics and new features ...
'' which was composed by Junichi Nakatsuru.


''Diablo III''

In June 2008, Eminence recorded the orchestral music used for the announcement and trailers for
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the h ...
's '' Diablo III''.


''Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment''

Coinciding with the recording of ''Diablo III'', Eminence approached Blizzard Entertainment with the idea of releasing an album of orchestrated music from across Blizzard's gaming universe, including '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'', ''
World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...
'', '' StarCraft'' and '' Diablo''. Guest composers were commissioned to compose their own unique take on the original tracks of the games, including Japanese composers Kow Otani and Masaru Shiina, and also Russell Brower who is currently Head Director of Audio within Blizzard. The album also featured tracks from then-unreleased games such as '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and '' Diablo III''. Two packages were announced for the album: Legendary and Standard. The Legendary edition of the album featured two audio discs, a DVD with a documentary and featurette, a wide-format booklet and 9 exclusive art cards; while the Standard Edition solely consisted of the two audio discs.


''Makoto Shinkai Image Album "Promise"''

Recorded by Eminence in 2009 and released by CoMix Wave Films, this CD features adaptations of music composed by Tenmon for the four animated films directed to date by
Makoto Shinkai , known as , is a Japanese filmmaker and novelist. He is known for his anime feature films produced with CoMix Wave Films. Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with ...
. It includes three songs from '' 5 Centimeters Per Second'' (including an instrumental version of " One More Time, One More Chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki), six songs from ''
The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a 2004 Japanese animated dystopian drama film written, produced, cinematographed, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai in his feature film debut. Set over several years in an alternate history where Japan was divided after the Soviet U ...
'', two songs from ''
Voices of a Distant Star is a Japanese science fiction original video animation (OVA) short film created and animated by Makoto Shinkai. It follows the lives of two close childhood friends, a boy and a girl, who are separated when the girl is sent into space to ...
'', and two songs from ''
She and Her Cat , subtitled ''Their Standing Points'', is a 1999 Japanese original video animation created and directed by Makoto Shinkai. His first own directed work, it is a five-minute story about the relationship between a male cat and his female owner ...
''.


The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

In 2009, Eminence recorded the soundtrack to the anime film '' The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya''.


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
''Echoes of War'' official siteAnimefringe – "Spending a Night in Fantasia" – Jacky Fan (Press Article & Interview)Anime News Network – "Sound Decision" – Hiroaki Yura (Press Interview)
{{Authority control Anime composers Australian orchestras Musical groups established in 2003 Video game concert tours Video game culture Video game musicians Music in Sydney