Members of Arcadia rendezvoused with Luna in Connecticut to attend the sold out "Dear Friends" music from Final Fantasy concert. Packed with the faithful and hardcore gamers of the Final Fantasy series they all crammed into the auditorium dressed to impress, with a cos-players as well. The Concert is one of the most significant cultural finds in the Greater Gaming Community to Empire Arcadia and it brings us great pleasure to inform you all about the event and Final Fantasy as a whole.

A crucial component of Final Fantasy is its music. Any gamer who has followed the series can attest to that statement. Composer Nobuo Uematsu is one of the most well-known, prolific and versatile composers working in the videogame music field, having composed for over thirty game titles. The music from Final Fantasy has grown to such popularity that he was named as one of the "Innovators" in Time Magazin's "Time 100: The Next Wave - Music" feature. Complementing the Final Fantasy series' seminally cinematic graphics and epic storylines, Uematsu's emotionally stirring pieces have changed the gaming experience, creating a venue for classical music to resonate with the next generation, as well as setting new standards for the videogame music.

Final Fantasy music is currently available on America Online's Radio @ Network, featuring 200 tracks from the top-selling games, under the "Soundtracks & More" Category on Radio @ AOL for Broadband and Radio @ Netscape. This is the first-ever radio station on the AOL Radio @ Network dedicated to a single videogame franchise. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, the American synchronized swimming duo consisting of Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova were awarded the Bronze medal using music from Final Fantasy VIII.

Although the use of sophisticated original music in videogames may seem novel, in truth Final Fantasy is simply the most modern manifestation of a long tradition in the history of music. In the 18 th century, Goethe and Schiller wrote plays with provisions for incidental music, Beethoven and Weber being among the composers who provided it. Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the most notable example of 19 th -century incidental music. Modern concertgoers are also familiar with Grieg's "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King," even if they are unaware of their origins as incidental music for an lbsen play, the protagonist of which is an adventurer not unlike those found in today's RPG's.
*The Bushnell Program

Dear Friends
Music from Final Fantasy
May 20, 2005, 8:00 p.m.
Music composed and produced by Nobuo Uematsu
Featuring the Greater Middletown Chorale with a full orchestra

1. Liberi Fatali: Final Fantasy VIII

2. Zanarkand: Final Fantasy X

3. Terra's Theme: Final Fantasy VI

4. Theme of Love: Final Fantasy IV

5. Dear Friends: Final Fantasy V

6. Vamo' Alla Flamenco: Final Fantasy IX

7. Love Grows: Final Fantasy VIII

INTERMISSION

8. Aeris's Theme: Final Fantasy VII

9. Not Alone: Final Fantasy IX

10. Ronfaure: Final Fantasy XI

11. Final Fantasy I-III Medley -

12. New Melody from FF VII: Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

13. Final Fantasy -
*The Bushnell Program