‘Kingdom Hearts’ Orchestra World Tour Features Exclusive New Story Scenes, Concert Comes To U.S. This Summer
As part of the Kingdom Hearts 15th Anniversary celebration this year, the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra is touring the world for the first time, and the official concert world tour is coming to the U.S. this summer with several performance dates in Los Angeles and New York.
The Los Angeles performances are to be held at the prestigious Dolby Theatre on June 10, 11, and 14. The show comes to the United Palace Theatre in New York a couple weeks later on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24.
Video game music lovers and Kingdom Hearts fans alike enjoyed the tour’s premiere concerts in London, Paris, and Tokyo in March. An additional performance is scheduled for July 8 in Osaka at the Orix Theater. Tickets for this show are being made available to a limited number of fans living outside of Japan.
The orchestra and choir ensemble consists of more than 100 performers who play some of the most memorable music from the Kingdom Hearts score as HD cinematics from the games are presented on stage in sync. Game Director Tetsuya Nomura has supervised the concert series’ development, as it also ties into the overall Kingdom Hearts universe and further extends its expansive storyline. Several story scenes are exclusive to the experience. Actors Risa Uchida (who voices Kairi and Xion) and Megumi Toyoguchi (who voices Aqua) are confirmed to have recorded three sequences just for the concert.
Specific to the U.S. portion of the tour, composer Yoko Shimomura is scheduled to appear as a special guest. There are 150 VIP tickets for each performance that include a meet and greet opportunity complete with an autograph and photo op after the show.
Fans looking for exclusive Kingdom Hearts merchandise are not going to be disappointed, either. Several products are only being sold at the concerts, including a 48-page concert program. It includes music notes, artwork and illustrations, plus an interview between Nomura and Shimomura. It is the first time the director and composer have participated in a cross-interview about the music of Kingdom Hearts. Another exclusive item is the concert tour T-shirt, which features an original image of “Sora’s Chief Conductor Keyblade.”
A special edition CD is also being sold at each venue, but it is being made available for purchase online after the event as well. It features 12 pieces of music as arranged for the concert. Fans should note the CD is only available for purchase in countries that have hosted concert performances. The U.S. is to soon be added to a list includes France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
Who's excited about the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra? Enter the sweepstakes to hear your favorite #KH songs at the @DolbyTheatre in LA! pic.twitter.com/de3l9SjS37
— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) May 31, 2017
The Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour is not the only way the series is celebrating its 15th year in 2017. The Disney meets Final Fantasy concept has been re-introduced to gamers with re-release of nearly every entry in the Kingdom Hearts universe on PlayStation 4 through the latest compilations: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
Gamers on mobile devices have also been introduced to Sora, Riku, Kairi, and friends through the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Unchained ? (Key). The popular game on Android and iOS was downloaded by more than two million players when it made its North American debut last year. It got a major update and new name — Kingdom Hearts Union ? — earlier this year, along with a movie in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8. The Kingdom Hearts ? [chi] Back Cover film tells the story of how the Foretellers came to be as they appear in the mobile adventures, and hints how the on-the-go experience ties into Kingdom Hearts 3.
[Featured Image by Disney/Square Enix]
