Dallas Symphony Offers 3-Tiered NFT* to Commemorate Collaboration with Met Orchestra Musicians

Fabio Luisi and the Dallas Symphony (photo: Sylvia Elzafon)

In May, Fabio Luisi Led Combined Forces in Live Account of Mahler’s First; All NFT Proceeds Will Benefit Met Musicians

In early May, before a live, in-person Dallas audience, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) collaborated with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and DSO Music Director Fabio Luisi on an emotional account of Mahler’s First Symphony that the New York Times hailed as “one of the most dramatic musical coups of the pandemic.” Now the DSO announces a three-tiered blockchain offering to commemorate their historic performance. Just released, these newly-minted NFTs* are available from Rarible at rarible.com/dallassymphony, with all proceeds going to benefit the musicians of the Met Opera Orchestra.

The three-tiered NFT offering comprises:

1. Audio of the final movement of Mahler’s First Symphony and exclusive photos of the musicians and performance: 25 available at $100 each.
2. Video of the first movement of Mahler’s First Symphony, together with an interview with Fabio Luisi and a ticket to the upcoming reunion chamber concert scheduled to take place in New York City in early 2022: 15 available at $1,000 each.
3. Video of the full concert, complete with behind-the scenes rehearsal footage, interviews and special features, together with a VIP experience at the New York City reunion concert, including dinner with the artists, roundtrip airfare from another U.S. city, and two nights in a hotel: one available for auction, with an opening bid of $50,000.

This NFT offering marks the next chapter in the unprecedented collaboration between the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. This past May, when members of the Dallas Symphony invited 50 members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to Dallas for a joint performance of Mahler’s First Symphony under Luisi’s leadership, it represented not only the first time since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020 that many of the non-DSO musicians had had the opportunity to perform for a live audience, but also one of the largest orchestral performances in more than a year. The DSO succeeded in raising enough money to bring the musicians to Dallas, as well as paying them a week’s salary and presenting the Metropolitan Opera musicians in a series of masterclasses and chamber performances.

As captured on film, the concert made for a welcome reunion between the Met Opera musicians and Luisi, who previously served for more than five years as their Principal Conductor. Small wonder then that, as the New York Times reports, “the filmed result is fresh, vivid and cumulatively quite moving.” Luisi reflects:

“During my time with the Metropolitan Opera, I became close to many of the members of the orchestra. It is devastating that these incredible musicians have not had an opportunity to perform together in over a year. Sadly, this is the case for many musicians around the country, and many have been affected so greatly by this reduction of income. I urged the DSO to find a way to gather musicians together to make music in a way we have not heard in more than a year as a symbol of solidarity.”

DSO Ross Perot President & CEO Kim Noltemy comments:

“Our time with the Met Opera Orchestra musicians was inspiring, emotional and full of memories that we all will hold dear for a very long time. It was our honor to have welcomed our colleagues to Dallas and into our home for this historic concert.”

Sales will be transacted using the cryptocurrency Ethereum, which is available on a variety of cryptocurrency exchanges. Rarible is a top-ranked, community-centric marketplace for NFTs. Launched in 2020 by Alexei Falin and Alex Salnikov, the site provides a platform for artists and collectors looking to create, collect and trade digital collectibles. Salnikov, Head of Product & Co-Founder of Rarible, explains:

“The collaboration with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra marks a significant milestone in our journey to take NFTs mainstream and to reach new audiences. Like so many, the musicians of the Met Opera Orchestra were affected by the shut-down. This NFT is a true testament to the value NFTs can generate for artists and creators by creating new streams of revenue.”

About the Dallas Symphony Orchestra

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi, presents world-class orchestral music at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s top-rated concert halls. As the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest, the DSO is committed to inspiring the broadest possible audience with distinctive classical programs, inventive pops concerts and innovative multi-media presentations. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the orchestra reaches more than 243,000 adults and children annually through performances, educational programs and community outreach initiatives. During the pandemic, the Dallas Symphony was one of a few major U.S. orchestras to present socially distanced concerts with live audiences throughout the 2020-21 season. Furthermore, the orchestra has offered more than 200 outdoor chamber concerts in neighborhoods throughout the Metroplex since the summer. The DSO continued online music lessons to more than 200 students as part of its Young Strings and Young Musicians programs and increased its online dissemination of concerts through a newly designed website and on social media. The DSO has a tradition dating back to 1900 and is a cornerstone of the unique, 118-acre Arts District in Downtown Dallas that is home to multiple performing arts venues, museums and parks – the largest district of its kind in the nation. The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas.

* An NFT (non-fungible token) is a digital asset that represents a tangible object or product (e.g. a video or work of art). NFTs are either unique or comprise one unit of a very limited edition, and are bought and sold online, often with cryptocurrency. The NFT data is stored on a digital ledger called a blockchain, which certifies the unique or limited-edition nature of the digital asset.

High-resolution photos can be downloaded here.

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© 21C Media Group, July 2021