Correction: The original version of this article contained an error. Susan Calloway’s name was misspelled.
About a year ago, UCLA alumna and Chorale member Deborah Shieh met Final Fantasy music composer, Nobuo Uematsu, a person she has admired for most of her musical career and gaming experience. As the gaming franchise has become more popular, so too has the music that is so central to the atmosphere of the game itself.
On Friday, Shieh, along with other members of the UCLA Chorale, will be performing in Royce Hall as part of the “Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy” tour.
“I was speechless when I met (Uematsu). Honestly, I never thought I’d ever get the chance to … and now I get to perform with him on stage,” Shieh said.
The tour will make two stops at Royce Hall on both Friday and Saturday nights, but each night will likely feature different programs. Although the UCLA Chorale will only be taking part in Friday’s performance, other performers include the Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra, vocalist Susan Calloway and soloists Arnie Roth on the violin and Uematsu on organ.
Conductor, soloist and performer Arnie Roth said that this is an exciting experience because this will be the first Distant Worlds show at which both Uematsu and Final Fantasy game creator Hironobu Sakaguchi will be present.
Because Royce Hall has a pipe organ and the orchestra will include a chorus, this tour date is special in that the orchestra will have the equipment to play songs it normally doesn’t perform.
“We’ll be playing things like “˜Dancing Mad,’ which is a piece we rarely perform,” Roth said.
Fans can expect the stage to be filled with a little more than a hundred performers, as well as a big screen that will feature scenes from the video game during the performances. Roth also said that Square Enix, the developer, publisher and distributor of Final Fantasy, will have a display in the lobby showcasing their new game, “Final Fantasy 13-2,” another exclusive aspect of the Los Angeles performances.
Calloway will be performing six different solo pieces. Calloway said she is excited and honored to be included in the history of the legendary game franchise.
“Since I don’t play the game, what’s cooler for me is to do the live concerts. Just to be on the stage with a big orchestra, that is probably the most thrilling kind of experience,” Calloway said.
Calloway originally began her musical career when she was asked by Roth to record a few songs on the “Distant Worlds Tour” CD. Once she received positive responses from fans, Uematsu asked her to join them on the tour itself.
According to Roth, the tour has been trying to bring the Final Fantasy concert event to as many locations around the world as possible. It has been showcased in Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea; the next new stop for the tour after its stay at UCLA will be London on Nov. 5.
Shieh said she has been a fan of Uematsu’s music since she was 10 years old. When she heard the Chorale was going to participate in the performance, she contacted UCLA choir director Rebecca Lord to pursue the opportunity to participate in the concert.
“Final Fantasy VIII was one of the first games (I played) … It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to sing (Uematsu’s) work and … to be in the presence of my idol.”