Elect the Dead Symphony (orchestra, vocalist) with Serj Tankian

Elect the Dead Symphony is a full length live album and concert from Serj Tankian, solo artist, painter, poet, activist, and frontman of System of a Down.

This collaboration marks the beginning of one of the great musical and personal relationships of my artistic life.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra suggested me for the role of orchestrating 14 of Serj's songs, to be performed by him, Dan Monti, and the APO. The task was one of breathing life into this unique fusion of rock and classical. The aim of the concert was to present renditions of tracks on the Elect the Dead album as well as previously unreleased songs, exploring fresh and unchartered musical territory.

A standout among the repertoire was "Charades," now reimagined and officially released as "The Charade." Originally considered for System of a Down's album Hypnotize, this song made its debut as a live version on the Axis of Justice compilation. However, Elect the Dead Symphony showcases the very first studio recording of "The Charade," offering a definitive rendition.

The album's release in February 2010 solidified its status as a must-have for fans of Serj's mesmerizing musical vision.

Serj was great to work with from the start. What I remember from our first conversation was his repeatedly calling me 'brother' - something I was not used to. In fact, I don't think anyone had ever called me that before. Serj had a very clear idea of what he wanted for orchestra and sound, and a lot of the materials he shared for me to work with contained detailed orchestrations of his own. A number of tracks were simply a case of tidying up and filling out a near-completed orchestration. In other tracks I had more leeway to expand and shape the orchestral layers.

I received stems from Serj for each song and started working in Logic with my orchestral libraries. The dialogue back and forth was easy and clear (for me at least - I've never asked Serj what it was like for him to work with me.....). I remember when we got close to the wire and time was short, I sent Serj two tracks for feedback, which I needed asap. I think it cost him going to hear Neil Young live that night, which I've always felt guilty about.

The concert was incredible; at the Auckland Town Hall. I'd recommended an ex-student, Hamish Oliver, for the piano playing and was thrilled to see him on stage that night. And Hamish McKeich conducted, which was the start of his own long relationship with Serj, going on to conduct Elect the Dead Symphony all over the world.

Serj invited me onstage at one point to introduce me to the audience and it was an absolute shock to feel the intense wave of adulation that was coming from the crowd on to the stage. I learnt in that moment just what these big artists have to absorb. It's not for the faint-hearted.

After this show, Serj and I continued to stay in touch and have since worked together on a number of projects; the title track from Between Zero and One, 100 Years (remembering the Armenian, Greek, and Kurdish Genocides in 1915 and after), No Man's Land (in which he contributed an incredible performance in the last section), and one of the tracks on the Covid-times album Last Days of March

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