When most people think about classical music, they think about long dead composers. Symphonies, orchestras, and beautiful music that most have heard one way or another, many times before. But what springs to mind when ones hear the term contemporary classical music? Anything? The creators of multimedia musical experience Pandora’s Box aim to not only change, but redefine the term. In fact, they aim to change the way that the world sees and hears classical music in general, and began doing so with a launch event on May 18th at Burbank’s Greenery Studios.

A project years in the making, Pandora’s Box seeks to seamlessly unite a groundbreaking audio and visual experience.  The brain child of Red Tusk Records CEO and visionary composer Nadeem Majdalany, an original score was written specifically for this project, yet also offers musicians a unique opportunity to improv. The instrumentalists who participated in the project’s first incarnation, many world class artists, were unwittingly assigned their roles at random. Named mythological gift from the gods, the sense of chance and risk forced the instrumentalists to think on their feet like they never have before, having to improvise and collaborate on an entirely new level.

Pandora’s Box Launches with an Immersive Cinematic Experience

This one-of-a-kind collaboration also offered the world-class musicians a chance to shine to shine and the recognition that they deserve. While most of the artists involved have collaborated with major, globally known music acts, Pandora’s Box provided a venue for these artist, some of which have won Grammys, to shine in their own right.

At Greenery, Pandora’s Box launched  its first phase as a filmed, immersive 360 experience. Therefore, viewers will be able to step into the performance and experience music in an entirely new manner, and conveying the magic of creation, musicality, and improv all at once. The stage and live performances is the intended next phase of expansion for the project.

Temple of Geek spoke with many of the talented artists who brought Pandora’s Box to life. See what they had to say about this extraordinary project below.

Interview with Pandora’s Box Director/Cinematographer David Klingerman

Interview with Musicians Shannon Canchola and Ryan Glass

Interview with Camille and Carmen of the band CxC

Interview with Drummer & Percussionist MB Gordy

Interview with Violinist Megan Shung