Eminence Symphony Orchestra

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Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Country	Australia
Years active	2003 - present
Genres	Classical music Film score Video game music
Members	Hiroaki Yura (Founder & Violin) Philip Chu (conducting) Natalia Raspopova (Piano) Masaki Nakamura (Violin) Ayako Ishikawa (Violin)

The Eminence Symphony Orchestra in Sydney, Australia was founded in 2003 by Hiroaki Yura. The orchestra's vision is to "inject something bold, dynamic and fresh into classical music". Eminence wishes to "break down the barriers between the audience and the musicians, and to revive orchestra in today's society; particularly amongst youth".

Contents 1 Concerts 1.1 A Night in Fantasia 1.2 Sakura Snow 1.3 A Night in Fantasia 2004 1.4 Piano Stories 1.5 World of John Williams 1.6 Piano Stories II 1.7 Destiny: The Dream Time Ensemble 1.8 A Night in Fantasia 2005 1.9 Piano Stories III 1.10 Spirited Away with Youmi 1.11 A Night in Fantasia 2006 1.12 Piano Stories IV 1.13 Passion 1.14 A Night in Fantasia 2007 2 Albums 3 Current Staff 3.1 Eminence Productions 3.2 Eminence Artists 3.3 Information Technology 3.4 Sydney Eminence Division 3.5 Melbourne Eminence Division 4 External links

[edit] Concerts

[edit] A Night in Fantasia

Eminence's debut concert was held on the 31st of October and the 1st of November of 2003: A Night in Fantasia. It was born because something like it had never been done before in Australia. The first of a series of concerts performing music from Final Fantasy and Studio Ghibli films took place at Sydney Congress Hall and sold out well before the night. This proved a point to organisers - the concept could work and there was enthusiastic support for concerts of popular culture music in Australia. At this point the company running the concert was 'Infinity 8LUE', and the orchestra was the 'Infinity 8LUE Symphony Orchestra'.

[edit] Sakura Snow

On the 10th of July, 2004, Infinity 8LUE presented two sessions of a J-pop concert at Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Entitled Sakura Snow, the concert featured FUYUKA and Jun Mochizuki, who performed music from various artists, including those of Utada Hikaru, MISIA, Dreams Come True, Glay (band), Yuichiro (TOKIO), Chage & Aska and The Boom.

[edit] 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 the 30th & 31st of October. William Motzing became the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Daniel Smith became the Assistant Conductor and Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu 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.

[edit] Piano Stories

Alexey Yemtsov performed the first Piano Stories concert on the 15th of April, at Verbrugghen Hall. Featuring work from Studio Ghibli, Yoko Kanno and Shiro Sagisu, Piano Stories marked the beginning of a series of concerts celebrating piano scores from a selection of anime and gaming soundtracks.

[edit] World of John Williams

2005 saw Eminence present the World of John Williams concert, held on the 8th of 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. His work from Harry Potter, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Home Alone and Raiders of the Lost Ark was performed. Daniel Smith conducted the Australian Premiere of Battle of the Heroes (from Star Wars Episode III).

[edit] 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 and anime including Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Hoshi no Koe, Macross Plus, and Noir. The Eminence Quartet also appeared on the night. The concert was held on the 6th of August at Verbrugghen Hall.

[edit] 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 in Australia witnessed the 9 member elite chamber music ensemble group perform music from a variety of composers. These included Joe Hisaishi, Nobuo Uematsu, Michiru Oshima, Shiro Sagisu and Toshihiko Sahashi. 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 are: Hiroaki Yura (Violin) Ayako Ishikawa (Violin) Christian Boennelykke (Viola) Kenichi Mizushima (Violoncello) Hanae Seto (Clarinet) James Fortune (Flute) Joshua Hill (Percussion) Chiron Meller (Percussion) and Jem Harding (Piano).

[edit] A Night in Fantasia 2005

A Night in Fantasia 2005 saw an 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 (thanks to AV Director, Jacky Fan who acted as musical advisor and co produced the concert) with the inclusion of many popular anime and video game titles including Kingdom Hearts, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Onimusha, Halo (video game series), Fruits Basket, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Tsubasa Chronicle, Gran Turismo (video game), InuYasha, Naruto, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Rurouni Kenshin. The event wrote history by hosting the World Premiere of the World of Warcraft Suite, and again saw the use of footage from the original titles alongside the music.

[edit] Piano Stories III

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

[edit] 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 the 6th of July in Sydney. Youmi Kimura performed songs from Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbour Totoro among others.

[edit] A Night in Fantasia 2006

A Night in Fantasia 2006 was held on the 2nd of July in Melbourne Town Hall and on the 7th of July in Sydney Town Hall. The concert featured music from Final Fantasy and Studio Ghibli, and also welcomed special guest Youmi Kimura, the composer of both the Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle (film)'s ending themes. It also featured Hiroaki Yura on violin and Phillip Chu as conductor. The concert also premiered music from Final Fantasy XII and was the world's first symphonic concert to be accompanied by footage from Studio Ghibli films.

[edit] Piano Stories IV

Eminence's newest addition to the Piano Stories series featured pianist Krzyzstof Malek performing pieces from a number of video game titles including Tetris, the Final Fantasy series, Xenogears, The Legend of Zelda & Kingdom Hearts II as well as a number of anime titles including Noir (TV series), My Neighbour Totoro, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Azumanga Daioh, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fullmetal Alchemist & Gundam SEED Destiny. Eminence also announced a mystery guest artist that would appear alongside Krzyzstof Malek, who turned out to be Ayako Ishikawa on violin. The Melbourne performance took part of the Manifest convention, and was held in Melba Hall within The University of Melbourne on Saturday the 23rd of September. Sydney's concert took place in Verbrugghen Hall within the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on Saturday October the 14th.

[edit] Passion

Eminence have announced a new concert series to begin in December featuring Ayako Ishikawa and Hiroaki Yura on violin and will also feature Natalia Raspopova on piano, Joshua Hill on percussion and Zane Banks on guitar. On their minisite for the concert, Eminence announced that they have collaborated with Japanese video game composers Yasunori Mitsuda and Hitoshi Sakimoto, whose work will be featured alongside other notable anime and video game titles. The concert will begin in Melbourne on the 9th of December at the Merlyn Theatre, followed by Sydney on the 16th of December at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, after which then be Eminence's debut Singapore concert on the 23rd of December and will be held at the Victoria Concert Hall. Yasunori Mitsuda has been announced as a special guest of honour for all three performances, and will also be playing the bouzouki. Hitoshi Sakimoto will join him as a guest in the Sydney performance only. The concert will feature music from games including Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII, Xenosaga, Shadow of the Colossus and Super Mario Bros. The anime pieces selected have come from a number of sources including Haibane Renmei, Tsubasa Chronicle and .hack//Liminality.

[edit] A Night in Fantasia 2007

A Night in Fantasia 2007 is already in planning and production as of April 2006.

[edit] Albums

Eminence has released the following albums from their concerts:

• A Night in Fantasia (Limited Edition) (2003)

1. Morning in the Slag Ravine (Laputa - The Castle in the Sky)
2. Laputa (Laputa - The Castle in the Sky)
3. Carrying You (Laputa - The Castle in the Sky)
4. Approaching Night (Spirited Away)
5. The Boy of the Dragons (Spirited Away)
6. Opening (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind)
7. The Man of Bird (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind)
8. The Sepia Coloured Photo (Porco Rosso)
9. Time for Old Memories (Porco Rosso)
10. Dog Fight (Porco Rosso)
11. On a Sunny Day (Kiki's Delivery Service)
12. On Your Mark (On Your Mark)
13. Cloud's Theme {Main Theme} (Final Fantasy VII)
14. Melodies of Life (Final Fantasy IX)
15. Aeris' Theme (Final Fantasy VII)
16. Fragments of Memories (Final Fantasy VIII)
17. Eyes on Me (Final Fantasy VIII)
18. Scene I (Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite)

• A Night in Fantasia 2004 (Studio Ghibli Performance) (2004)

1. The Great Legend (Laputa - The Castle in the Sky)
2. Sophie's Tomorrow (Howl's Moving Castle)
3. Secret Garden (Howl's Moving Castle)
4. Cave of Mind (Howl's Moving Castle)
5. I'm so Glad (My Neighbour Totoro)
6. Legend of Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke)
7. Journey to the West (Princess Mononoke)
8. World of the Dead (Princess Mononoke)
9. The Boy of the Dragon (Spirited Away)
10. The River from that Day (Spirited Away)

• Journeys on a Piano (Alexey Yemtsov) (2006)

1. One Summer's Day (Spirited Away)
2. Tifa's Theme (Final Fantasy VII)
3. 素敵だね {Isn't it Beautiful} (Final Fantasy X)
4. Aeris' Theme (Final Fantasy VII)
5. From the Cave's Nightmare (Final Fantasy X-2)
6. Ending Theme (Final Fantasy X)
7. Melodies of Life (Final Fantasy IX)
8. The Wind of Life (Piano Stories 4)
9. Vamo'alla Flamenco (Final Fantasy IX)
10. Those who Fight (Final Fantasy VII)
11. Eyes on Me (Final Fantasy VIII)
12. Ami (Final Fantasy VIII)
13. Ashitaka & San (Princess Mononoke)
14. Two Hearts Not Captured (Final Fantasy IX)

• World of John Williams (2006)

1. Hedwig's Theme (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film))
2. Harry's Wonderous World (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
3. Schindler's List Theme (Schindler's List)
4. Hymn to the Fallen (Saving Private Ryan)
5. Across the Stars (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones)
6. Adventures on Earth (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial)
7. Main Theme (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)
8. The Imperial March (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)
9. Throne Room & End Theme (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)
10. The Flag Parade (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace)
11. Battle of the Heroes (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)
12. Main Theme (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
13. Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace)

[edit] Current Staff

[edit] Eminence Productions

Founder & Artistic Director: Hiroaki Yura
Director of Operations: Elaine Chia
Project Co-Ordinator: Danny Ma
Senior Production Co-Ordinator: Alex Williams
Legal Advisor & Japan Liason Officer: Michael Camilleri
Artistic Advisor & Japanese Liason Officer: Harry Simons
SEAC Team: Billy Tjajadi & Steven Pham
Visual Arts Projection Manager: Demetri Potiris
Music Transcriptions and Arrangements: Nicole Brady & Jackson Harrison
Executive Assistant: Aidina Aierken
Administrative Assistant: Jonathan Ng
Librarian: Lucy Yeoman
Merchandising: Belinda Mai, Dacia Thai & Bonnie Ha

[edit] Eminence Artists

Design Team Manager: Suri Junin
Designers: Suri Junin & Tyrone Jandey
Audio Visual Control: Jacky Fan & Anthony Fok
Camera Operator: Sarah Hansen
Photographers:

• Kenneth Ho
  
• Melissa Mai

[edit] Information Technology

Information Technology Manager: Danny Ma
Website Design & Development: Michael Tran & Christopher Chan
Website Developer: Rebecca Park
Data Management: Christopher Chan
Website Content Editor: Alex Williams

[edit] Sydney Eminence Division

Production Co-Ordinator: Justin Yem
Ticket Control Officer: Christopher Chan
Team Leaders: Casey Poon, Dacia Thai & Puifai Ip
Assistant Team Leaders: Lucy Yeoman, Lily Chen & Cathy Vong
Sydney Eminence Crew:

• Simon Bui
• Richard Huang
• Emma Huynh
• Cheng Wei Kong
• Mary-Jane Kwan
• Roy Kwan
• Cham Lai
• Wendy Li
• Sophie Liang
• Vivian Mai
• Jonathan Ng
• Michael Ngo
• Andy Nguyen
• Robert Nguyen
• Tracey Phan
• Grace Teoh
• Andrew Van Nguyen
• Chloe Wong
• Isabelle Wong
• William Wu
• Nelson Zheng

[edit] Melbourne Eminence Division

Production Co-ordinator: Ricky Prout
Ticket Control Officer: Astrid Emilia
Assistant Ticket Control Officer: Katherine Ryan
Team Leader: John Lui
Melbourne Eminence Crew:

• Jamie Cheong
  
• Sophie Dawson
  
• Jennifer Edwards
  
• Peter Griffin
  
• Bradley Jolly
  
• Daniel Kaminski
  
• Eric Lam
  
• Anthea McGirr
  
• Trang Mai
  
• Brianna Marlborough
  
• Jack Nguyen
  
• Nicole Stephenson
  
• June Thong
  
• John-Li Trang

[edit] External links

• Hill, Jason. "Pulling strings of a different kind", Game Reviews, The Age, 2006-06-29. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
• Hill, Jason. "Musical Fantasy", The Age Blogs, The Age, 2006-06-13. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
• Creagh, Sunanda. "Orchestra to showcase soundtrack genius", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-07-07. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
• Creagh, Sunanda. "Welcome your Eminence", The Age, 2004-11-20. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
• Eminence Symphony Orchestra's official website
• Passion minisite
• Animefringe - "Spending a Night in Fantasia" (Press Article & Interview)
• Anime News Network - "Sound Decision" - Hiroaki Yura (Press Interview)