Daveed Diggs and JooWan Kim to Collaborate on National Geographic: Symphony for Our World

National Geographic and Jason Michael Paul Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Tony- and Grammy-award winner Daveed Diggs will narrate, as a contributing artist, the upcoming National Geographic: Symphony for Our World, which begins touring in April 2018. The actor, rapper and producer, known for his award-winning work in the musical Hamilton, is bringing a modern take on the classics to the symphony scene with this new show. With MGP Live as the official promoter, an inaugural performance of Symphony for Our World will be held in San Francisco at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall on Earth Day, April 22, 2018.

“Working with National Geographic on this new kind of immersive storytelling, and sharing so much about the world with music, is something near and dear to my heart,” said Daveed Diggs. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve always liked National Geographic, and am so excited to be a part of Symphony for Our World.”

The original symphony and theme were created by Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Bleeding Fingers Music featuring composers Austin Fray and Andrew Christie with contributions from multi-platinum selling rockers X Ambassadors. Along with Diggs, JooWan Kim of Ensemble Mik Nawooj has joined the project, composing the music for the show’s narrations and overture.

“I had a great time collaborating with the creative director, Ryan, as he gave me the freedom to be inventive in deconstructing Le Carnaval as well as the iconic Elmer Bernstein National Geographic theme. The idea was to create new pieces based on the originals as opposed to medleys with modified instrumentation, which I believe we succeed in doing. I injected boom bap, trap, and other variants of Hip-Hop whenever possible so people could bop their heads to,” said JooWan Kim.

This inspiring 90-minute live orchestral performance will be presented in concert venues around the world, with groundbreaking imagery and storytelling from 130 years of beloved National Geographic history matched in perfect synchronization with a live orchestra and choir.

“National Geographic has inspired generations to explore, understand and protect our world. Bringing this type of storytelling to life in symphony is an incredible honor,” said Jason Michael Paul, President of Jason Michael Paul Entertainment, Inc.

“At National Geographic, we believe that our unparalleled visual storytelling can profoundly impact and inspire people to care about our planet. Our yellow border serves as a portal for people to gain new insight into the farthest reaches of the earth and beyond,” said Rosa Zeegers, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products and Experiences at National Geographic Partners. “We’re thrilled to have Daveed Diggs join us in sharing this ground-breaking show that combines our beautiful imagery with breathtaking music. Daveed’s passion for our mission truly elevates Symphony for Our World.”

The tour’s first performance is in conjunction with the television broadcast premiere of ‘Symphony for Our World’, an hour-long special which airs commercial-free on the same day on Nat Geo WILD. The ‘Symphony for Our World’ television event will premiere globally in 140 countries. For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com or www.natgeotvpressroom.com.

As a special addition to Symphony For Our World, photos from National Geographic Photo Ark will be featured for this Earth Day event. Founded by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, the Photo Ark aims to document every species currently living in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. Learn more at PhotoArk.org and join the conversation on social media with #SaveTogether.

Driven by a five-part composition, Symphony for Our World pairs artistry with science as it brings viewers from the depths of the sea, up to coastlines, over mountains and soaring into the sky. Each environment will be accompanied by a different orchestral movement, resulting in a powerful musical tribute to the beauty and wonders of our wild world.

For performance dates and ticket information, visit www.natgeo-symphony.com. Additional updates are available on Twitter and Facebook.

Assets

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdDkxoVCKs

About Jason Michael Paul Entertainment

A pioneer and leader in the live symphonic concert industry, Jason Michael Paul Entertainment, Inc. has been responsible for producing world-renowned concerts including events for The Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, Dear Friends ~ Music from FINAL FANTASY, More Friends ~ Music from FINAL FANTASY, PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes, The Legend of Zelda- 25th Anniversary Concerts and The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. For more information, please visit https://jmpent.com.

About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Bleeding Fingers Music

Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Bleeding Fingers Music has assembled an exceptional and sonically diverse roster of composers to create superlative original film and television scores. Co-founded by Hans Zimmer, Extreme Music CEO Russell Emanuel, Steven Kofsky and SonyATV, the company’s core belief is that collaboration breeds innovation and working in an environment where the gifted are empowered to be adventurous, experimental and creatively generous results in extraordinary music. Our 20 state-of-the-art studios based on Zimmer’s world-renowned campus and our best-in-class production team allow us the ability to produce music at the very highest standard. Bleeding Fingers has created original music for productions including Fox’s The Simpsons, BBC’s Blue Planet II, Planet Earth II, and Big Cats, National Geographic’s Diana: In Her Own Words and Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, Sony’s Snatch (TV), Netflix’s original Dope, History Channel’s Mountain Men and BBC America’s Top Gear.

About MGP Live

MGP Live is an international entertainment company based in NYC specialized producing concerts and special events. For over 30 years Massimo Gallotta, Founder and President of MGP Live, has been a leading promoter in the international music scene.  With an eclectic roster of clients, MGP Live has also championed the niche world of the multimedia symphonic experience, partnering with top entertainment brands to present various multimedia symphony tours worldwide.