LOS ANGELES, May 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — The top two ranking YouTube™ anime classical pianist sensations, Thelshter (Ismael Ramos) and Animenz (Maik Guo) will make their first LIVE concert debut in the U.S. with AniPiano 2014, an epic CosPlay event set on the opening night of Anime Expo 2014, July 3, 2014, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
TheIshter and Animenz will feature cover songs from popular anime favorites, including CODE GEASS, ANOHANA, ATTACK ON TITAN, CLANNAD, and many more, and will guest feature select song accompaniments by anime voice actress Christine Marie Cabanos (Minori Kushieda on TORADORA!, Marie Rose in DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE videogame, Reina on POKEMON ORIGINS).
“With AniPiano 2014, we finally have a chance to spread our love of anime to a wider audience,” says TheIshter. “As an anime fan, my wish has always been to share anime with my friends and family, but it’s quite difficult to do because of the stigma against it. Now, through music I can finally accomplish that dream. I want everyone to feel what we felt when we watched CODE GEASS, ANGEL BEATS!, CLANNAD, ANOHANA…and there’s no better time to do just that than at the start of Anime Expo ’14, where anime fans alike congregate in one place, sharing the same hobby, the same passion.”
“I have been playing classical piano since I was six, and the first moment I heard the music behind anime series I was hooked,” adds Animenz. “My goal with our performance at AniPiano 2014 is to inspire other people who have never heard of the genre ‘anime piano’ before, by simply combining the very best of anime music and classical music influences on the piano.”
AniPiano 2014 Supports Anti-bullying Organization J.A.B.
A portion of ticket proceeds will go to supporting the anti-bullying organization, “Jade Against Bullying” (J.A.B.). Founded by 15-year-old former bullying victim, Jade Bryanna Archer, J.A.B. is a grass roots organization in association with non-profit Havenly Blue Foundation that is dedicated to uniting, inspiring and empowering communities and kids to take a stand against today’s escalating “childhood bullying” epidemic. Join Jade’s campaign now to “Pledge Not to Bully” at www.JadeAgainstBullying.com.
A special VIP ticket includes preferred seating, a signed collector’s poster, backstage access and rehearsal viewing (4:30pm), a commemorative bound music sheet collection with two arrangements that have yet to be released, and an officially signed event poster.
Purchase discount tickets by May 15th For more info on AniPiano 2014 concert artists and “Jade Against Bullying” at www.AniPiano2014.com.
*PLEASE NOTE: AniPiano 2014 is not an official affiliate of Anime Expo 2014 and tickets to Anime Expo 2014 are not required to attend the AniPiano 2014 concert. Doors open at 6:30pm (VIP backstage access at 4:30p / Show at 7p.
ABOUT ANIPIANO
In August 2013, YouTube™’s top-ranking anime classical pianists TheIshter (Ismael Ramos) and Animenz (Maik Guo) performed live in front of more than 1,000 dedicated fans in Singapore. The concert, which was held at Hwa Chong (College), was attended by fans in CosPlay from all over the world. Its amazing success has led to another live performance, this time on the first night of the largest anime conference in North America, Anime Expo 2014. The genius pianists will be performing songs from popular anime works on July 3, 2014, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The concert also includes a special guest appearance by voice actress Christine Maria Cabanos.
ABOUT THEISHTER
Ishter (Ismael Ramos) was born the oldest of two children on December 27, 1990, in Marikina City, Philippines, and has been playing the piano for almost 10 years. Completely self-taught, Ismael first picked up piano at the age of 13 and discovered anime shortly after at the age of 15. Soon he was blending his two passions together — anime and piano. In 2009, he created what is now his current and thriving YouTube™ channel, “TehIshter” and currently has a 100,000+ YouTube fan-following with 15 of his top videos (including SWORD ART ONLINE, ATTACK ON TITAN, GUILTY CROWN, and ANGEL BEATS!), ranging from hundreds of thousands of views in less than two years. He also provides free downloads of his finished sheet music transcriptions for fans and anime music lovers to use/share with others. www.youtube.com/user/TehIshter
ABOUT ANIMENZ
Animenz (Maik Guo) was born in 1991 in Germany. He displayed early interest in music, and at the age of six he began playing the piano. Maik was classically trained by a professional piano teacher who recognized his gift while he was in elementary school for playing every song by ear. When he was 15, he became interested in anime and it quickly developed into an obsession. This lead to the creation of his own YouTube™ channel, “Animenzzz,” in 2009, where he uploads piano covers weekly that feature songs from anime series, as well as free downloads of his composition piano sheets. Four of his piano covers, featuring music from ATTACK ON TITAN, MIRAI NIKKI and ANGEL BEATS!, have received over 1,000,000 views and his “Animenz” Facebook page has 330,000+ “friends” who “like” it. www.youtube.com/user/Animenzzz
ABOUT CHRISTINE MARIE ABANOS
Christine Marie Cabanos is a professional voice-over actress and singer based in L.A. Her first voice-acting role came as Azusa Nakano of K-ON! Since then, she has played in numerous other anime roles, including Madoka Kaname in PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA, Squid Girl in SQUID GIRL, Haruka in OBLIVION ISLAND, Shiemi Moriyama in BLUE EXORCIST, Silica in SWORD ART ONLINE, and more. She has appeared in several videogames such as Marie Rose in DEAD OR ALIVE 5 ULTIMATE, Filia in SKULLGIRLS, Nepgear in the HYPER-DIMENSION NEPTUNIA series, and more. As a professional singer, Christine has performed on TV shows such as VIOLETTA on the Disney Channel. She has her own YouTube™ channel where she posts covers of songs in both English and Japanese. Christine performed at Anime Expo 2013, and is the vocalist for the band, Ten Year.
SOCIAL MEDIA: www.anipiano2014 com | @AniPiano2014 | #AniPiano2014 | Facebook
Media Contact: Cynthia Lieberman, Lieberman Communications, 818-368-3808, liebermanc@gmail.com
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