Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO[5]) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team.

[5] Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate concerts, which include a string section, a light show, lasers, moving trusses, video screens, and effects synchronized to music.

What was intended to be the band's debut album was recorded at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios and engineered by Dave Wittman.

Rather than releasing an album that he was not happy with, he shelved the project, but continued working in the industry at Contemporary Communications Corporation (also known as Leber & Krebs).

[citation needed] Over the years, O'Neill continued to work as a writer, producer, manager, and concert promoter.

The story begins when Mephistopheles appears before Beethoven, whom Paul O'Neill refers to as "the world's first Heavy Metal Rock Star",[14][15] to collect the great composer's soul.

[18][19] This two-disc deluxe edition includes all the music from the original release and, for the first time, the narration featured during live performances of the album.

Where the listener can relax, close their eyes and within minutes be wandering the streets of 1800s Vienna with Beethoven on the last great adventure of his life.

It is a story of loss and redemption that encompasses a rundown hotel, an old toy store, a blues bar, a Gothic cathedral and their respective inhabitants all intertwined on a single enchanted Christmas Eve in New York City.

"[24] After another few years of touring, Night Castle, Trans-Siberian Orchestra's fifth album, released on October 27, 2009 was well received by fans and critics alike.

It runs the gamut from hard rock to classical taking the listener on a journey through history detailing the triumphs and follies of man but is ultimately a story of transformation and love.

"[27] The two-disc set includes a version of "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, which was previewed live by the band during their 2004–2008 tours.

[28][29] The first half is a rock opera about a seven-year-old child on a beach who meets a stranger from New York City who tells her a story that takes her all around the world and through time where she encounters various characters, many of which are based on historical individuals such as Desiderius Erasmus.

On October 30, 2012 Trans-Siberian Orchestra released a new five-song EP entitled Dreams of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night) on Lava Republic Universal Records.

The song was performed live as the opening number for the 2011 winter tour in acknowledgment of the rough times many people in the world were going through but bringing a message of hope by pointing out that together we can solve these problems as earlier generations have done in the past.

[31] It was accompanied by sound and video clips of individuals who helped humanity progress forward or overcome seemingly impossible situations.

It included pictures of Jonas Salk, the scientist who cured polio, Saint "Mother" Teresa of Calcutta who spent her life caring for the unwanted and ended with Neil Armstrong taking the first step on the Moon and the NASA's Gene Kranz paraphrased quote in regard to saving the astronauts aboard the damaged space capsule Apollo 13, that, "Failure is not an option."

Press releases described it as "the story of a fateful Christmas Eve and how one of the craziest gambles in human history leads to a second chance for a troubled youth who finds himself past the point of no return.

"[32][33] O'Neill died on April 5, 2017, at age 61, while staying at an Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa.

[44] In 2009, a group of musicians from the metro New York area formed a band, called The Wizards of Winter, inspired by TSO.

In 2013, four of the original members of TSO — Tommy Farese, Guy LeMonnier, Tony Gaynor, and Michael Lanning toured as guests with The Wizards of Winter.

[48] A video of the house quickly went viral on the internet and eventually was picked up by Miller Lite as the theme for their TV ads over the next two years.

[5] Soon after entire cities like Denver and Chicago were lighting their downtown districts in a similar manner, as well as many major theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Studios.

[49] Since Trans-Siberian Orchestra began touring, the band has donated over $16 million to a combination of local and national charities.

Over the years, O'Neill consistently thanked the audience,[52] referring to them as the second half of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that without them TSO would just be notes and words echoing in an empty arena.

In 2011, for the very first time in the band's history, a European leg was included, with venues predominantly in Germany, but also in Austria, Belgium, England, and Switzerland.

[63] In 2013, TSO kicked off their second European tour with a performance on New Year's Eve 2013-14 in front of over one million fans at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

For the first 40 minutes Savatage played a reunion show featuring Jon Oliva as the main lead singer for the first time in over 25 years, as well as Zak Stevens.

Following this, for the first time in music history, the entire band played a coordinated set spanning the two festival main stages, connected by a catwalk.

This united Trans-Siberian Orchestra featured four guitarists, four keyboard players, two drummers, two bassists, a full string section, and 24 vocalists and dancers performing in sync for nearly 80,000 people.