Heinz Hall
January 17 (sold out; standing-room-only tickets available)
8 p.m.
Video games and music have always gone hand in hand. Just imagine jumping over barrels in Donkey Kong, eating dots in Pac-Man and dodging cars in Frogger without those catchy soundtracks cheering you on and getting your adrenaline pumping to the next level. On Saturday, January 17th, the world’s second most successful video game franchise will get the orchestral treatment at Heinz Hall.
Gamer culture and classic music will collide during Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, presented by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) with guest conductor Susie Benchasil Seiter. Pokémon acolytes and gamer newbies alike will be swept away during this first-of-its-kind PSO show, which has only been produced in select East Coast cities. As of press time, only standing room only tickets remain for the one-night show.
A unique sonic journey through Pokémon’s most memorable moments, the show features a powerful musical retrospective accompanied by exciting visuals on a giant screen. Showcasing signature Pokémon music composed and arranged by Chad Seiter–and conducted by his wife Susie Benchasil Seiter–the production features brand new orchestral arrangements from recent and classic Pokémon video games (quick, what’s your favorite: Red, Yellow, Ruby or Silver?). The show’s creative producer is Jeron Moore.
Based in Los Angeles, CA, acclaimed composer Chad Seiter has worked on some of the leading projects to come out of video games, television and film over the last decade. He has composed, arranged and orchestrated music for Lost and Alias (ABC), Star Trek and Mission: Impossible III (Paramount) and the Medal of Honor video game series. Seiter, who is inspired by a hybrid of hit Hollywood film music and classic Japanese video game scores, is also associate executive producer at Princeton Entertainment, where he helped to create Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions.
A media franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996, Pokémon is centered on fictional creatures which humans capture and train to fight. Launched as a pair of video games for Nintendo’s original Game Boy, the wildly successful Pokémon franchise has gone on to sell millions and now spans video games, trading cards, animated TV shows, movies, comic books and toys.
The concert is sold out, but limited standing-room-only tickets are still available at the box office (600 Penn Avenue) or by phone: 412-392-4900. Doors open at 7 p.m. Attendees are invited to mingle with other Pokémon fans in Heinz Hall’s Grand Lobby before the show.
