Being a fans of/for fans website, we always hope your visits here
are both fun and informative, but we never imagined our little site
would make it into the classroom!
The following is a school report
submitted by a High School student
and TSO superfan. It goes a long way in proving that what Paul O'Neill
has created with TSO is truly inspira-
tional to people of all ages:
My name is Manny. I'm 15 years
old and a High School Sophomore in
Michigan. I've been playing clarinet
for 4 years. I'm first chair. I had to
do a report in my accelerated English
class. We were aloud to choose our
own topic. I wanted to do one on
music. Even though I like all types of
music, I chose my favorite musical
group, TSO!!!
I'll bet that you never thought that classical music could be electrifying...
Literally.
In fact, most people I've talked to don't really care for classical
music. Of the few people who do like classical music, even fewer
people have heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, one of the
most amazing, yet unusual, orchestras in the world.
In 1996, a man named Paul O'Neill and his two friends, Robert
Kinkel and Jon Oliva, decided that the musical world needed a new
breed of music. They not only wanted the music to have a new
and unusual sound, they wanted it to have a greater emotional
impact on people than previous musical masterpieces. They wanted
to make "music so melodic it didn't need lyrics, and lyrics so poetic
they didn't need music."* Finally, they decided what to call this
newfound phenomenon; the rock opera.
Like all great ideas, the three musicians ran into a few musical
roadblocks. They had a rock and roll band, but they needed voices
to make the music really grow. In most rock and roll bands, there
are only one or two really terrific singers to work with. This forces
them to make the music fit the band, instead of letting the music
grow enough to fill the heavens.
Paul, Robert, and Jon figured out a way to make their rock
operas really flow. First, they write the music with no limitations
whatsoever. Then, they search for singers who are best qualified to perform each song. Paul, Robert, and Jon are always "cross-
pollinating" music genres that no one would have ever thought of
combining, which really puts their music in a genre all it's own.
One such song is, "A Mad Russian's Christmas," which, in my
opinion, is one of their most amazing songs. Paul, Robert, and Jon
took an old classic, "The Nutcracker Suite" and spiced it up a bit
by adding a few electric guitars, a bass or two, and even an electric
violin! The result is a sensational hard rock masterpiece.
One of the best things about T.S.O.
has to be the membership within the
band. There are over sixty members
in the band alone! They also have a
few children's choral groups and
multiple other singers. It is the ideal
musical group to be in. They don't
care about your race, gender or age.
They're just there to put on a fantas-
tic performance.
Speaking of which, you might be wondering, 'How does an
orchestra that plays rock operas put on a performance?' Well, it's
probably not what you'd expect. Even though the entire orchestra
is in regular concert attire -tuxedos for men, and long, black skirts
and blouses for women- their surroundings are far from formal.
Using hundreds of lights, a couple of fog machines, and some
enormous amps, they really light up the night and make it a truly
electrifying experience.
Paul, Robert, and Jon are not the only ones to thank for the
success of T.S.O. They couldn't have done it without the help of
the T.S.O. East Coast Tour, the T.S.O. West Coast Tour, the
Child Choir from CEAOS, the Child Choir from BLN, and the
Child Choir from the CA. All of these groups come together as
one colossal group to create great art.
So what exactly is great art? Someone asked Paul this exact same
question. His response was this:
"The purpose of art is to create an emotional response in the
person exposed to that art. And there are three categories of art;
bad art, good art, and great art. Bad art will elicit on emotional
response in the person that is exposed to it, i.e., a song you hear in
an elevator and it does nothing to you, a picture on a wall that gives
you the same emotional response as if the wall had been blank, a
movie that chews up time. Good art will make you feel an emotion
that you have felt before; you see a picture of a forest and you
remember the last time you went fishing with your dad, you hear a
song about love and you remember the last time you were in love.
Great art will make you feel an emotion that you have never felt
before; seeing the pieta, the world famous sculpture by
Michaelangelo, can cause someone to feel the pain of losing a child
even if they've never had one. And when you're trying for these
emotions, the easiest one to trigger is anger. Anyone can do it. Go
into the street, throw a rock at someone, you will make them
angry. The emotions of love, empathy, and laughter are much
harder to trigger, but since they work on a deeper level, they bring
a much greater reward." *
So the next time you think that there
are no "good bands" out there, give
T.S.O. a try. You may be surprised
by what you hear. I know that you'll
think it's utterly electrifying!
-A.N. 2004
(http://www.trans-siberian.com/bio.shtml)
(http://www.oocities.org/unofficialtsofansite/whoswho.com)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra for being such a
great influence on our young people!