Trans-Siberian Orchestra Aspires To "Next Level" Each Year, Says Guitarist

Trans-Siberian Orchestra continues to grow and change with each passing winter.

Now, almost three years removed from founder Paul O'Neill's passing, guitarist Joel Hoekstra says the collective has a clear set of goals: to continue "pushing the envelope" with a new show each year, just like O'Neill did when he was at the helm.

TSO has been inhabiting arenas in North America each fall/winter for years now. But Hoekstra says he's still amazed by the "sheer magnitude" of the orchestra's production.

"This thing has grown leaps and bounds in terms of the production, in terms of the musicians involved, so we're excited to keep pushing the envelope," Hoekstra told Q104.3 New York's Jim Kerr and Shelli Sonstein. "That was the Paul O'Neill model of just always shooting for the next level and we're always trying to do him proud."

Hoekstra explained that O'Neill is missed more as a friend than anything; the guitarist emphasized how O'Neill had TSO running like a well-tuned machine before his passing. That efficiency is still there, and his daughter Ireland O'Neill has "done an amazing job of stepping in and contributing where Paul did."

The unique Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert experience is a fusion of classical music, arena rock and musical theatre. Fans come back every year to watch TSO recreate its live magic; Hoekstra says the annual fall/winter tours are part of his family's holiday tradition.

"That's Paul O'Neill's genius — he was the mad scientist who put this together," Hoekstra continued. "And everybody went, 'Really?' And yet it took off, and he knew it was going to. So I'm bless to be a part of it."

For a tickets and complete list of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's tour dates, go here.

To try and win TSO tickets from iHeartRadio, go HERE.

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2019 Tour

NOV 26, 2019 — San Jose, CA SAP Center at San Jose8:00 PM

NOV 27, 2019 — Toledo, OH Huntington Center4:00 PM

NOV 27, 2019 — Toledo, OH Huntington Center8:00 PM

NOV 29, 2019 — Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center4:00 PM

NOV 29, 2019 — Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center8:00 PM

NOV 29, 2019 — Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center3:00 PM

NOV 29, 2019 — Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center7:30 PM

NOV 30, 2019 — Dayton, OH Nutter Center3:00 PM

NOV 30, 2019 — Dayton, OH Nutter Center8:00 PM

NOV 30, 2019 — Ontario, CA Toyota Arena3:30 PM

NOV 30, 2019 — Ontario, CA Toyota Arena7:30 PM

DEC 1, 2019 — Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena3:00 PM

DEC 1, 2019 — Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena7:30 PM

DEC 1, 2019 — Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena3:00 PM

DEC 1, 2019 — Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena7:30 PM

DEC 4, 2019 — Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena7:30 PM

DEC 4, 2019 — El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center3:00 PM

DEC 4, 2019 — El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center7:30 PM

DEC 5, 2019 — Lexington, KY Rupp Arena7:30 PM

DEC 5, 2019 — Lubbock, TX United Supermarkets Arena7:00 PM

DEC 6, 2019 — Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena4:00 PM

DEC 6, 2019 — Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena8:00 PM

DEC 6, 2019 — Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena8:00 PM

DEC 7, 2019 — Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center3:00 PM

DEC 7, 2019 — Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center8:00 PM

DEC 7, 2019 — Kansas City, MO Sprint Center3:00 PM

DEC 7, 2019 — Kansas City, MO Sprint Center8:00 PM

DEC 8, 2019 — Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center3:00 PM

DEC 8, 2019 — Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center7:30 PM

DEC 8, 2019 — Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena3:00 PM

DEC 8, 2019 — Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena7:30 PM

DEC 11, 2019 — Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum7:30 PM

DEC 11, 2019 — Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC7:30 PM

DEC 12, 2019 — Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena7:30 PM

DEC 12, 2019 — Jacksonville, FL VyStar Veterens Arena7:30 PM

DEC 13, 2019 — Hershey, PA Giant Center4:00 PM

DEC 13, 2019 — Hershey, PA Giant Center8:00 PM

DEC 13, 2019 — Sunrise, FL BB&T Center8:00 PM

DEC 14, 2019 — Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center3:30 PM

DEC 14, 2019 — Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center8:00 PM

DEC 14, 2019 — Orlando, FL Amway Center3:00 PM

DEC 14, 2019 — Orlando, FL Amway Center8:00 PM

DEC 15, 2019 — Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center3:30 PM

DEC 15, 2019 — Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center8:00 PM

DEC 15, 2019 — Tampa, FL Amalie Arena3:00 PM

DEC 15, 2019 — Tampa, FL Amalie Arena7:30 PM

DEC 18, 2019 — Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena7:30 PM

DEC 18, 2019 — New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center7:30 PM

DEC 19, 2019 — Albany, NY Times Union Center7:30 PM

DEC 19, 2019 — Memphis, TN FedEx Forum7:30 PM

DEC 20, 2019 — Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum8:00 PM

DEC 20, 2019 — Tulsa, OK BOK Center8:00 PM

DEC 21, 2019 — Newark, NJ Prudential Center3:00 PM

DEC 21, 2019 — Newark, NJ Prudential Center8:00 PM

DEC 21, 2019 — Dallas, TX American Airlines Center3:00 PM

DEC 21, 2019 — Dallas, TX American Airlines Center8:00 PM

DEC 22, 2019 — Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena3:30 PM

DEC 22, 2019 — Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena8:00 PM

DEC 22, 2019 — Houston, TX Toyota Center3:00 PM

DEC 22, 2019 — Houston, TX Toyota Center8:00 PM

DEC 23, 2019 — Washington, DC Capital One Arena3:00 PM

DEC 23, 2019 — Washington, DC Capital One Arena7:30 PM

DEC 23, 2019 — San Antonio, TX AT&T Center3:30 PM

DEC 23, 2019 — San Antonio, TX AT&T Center8:00 PM

DEC 26, 2019 — Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena3:00 PM

DEC 26, 2019 — Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena8:00 PM

DEC 26, 2019 — St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center3:00 PM

DEC 26, 2019 — St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center7:30 PM

DEC 27, 2019 — Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse3:00 PM

DEC 27, 2019 — Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse8:00 PM

DEC 27, 2019 — Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum3:30 PM

DEC 27, 2019 — Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum8:00 PM

DEC 28, 2019 — Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena3:00 PM

DEC 28, 2019 — Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena8:00 PM

DEC 28, 2019 — St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center3:00 PM

DEC 28, 2019 — St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center8:00 PM

DEC 30, 2019 — Toronto, ON CA Scotiabank Arena3:00 PM

DEC 30, 2019 — Toronto, ON CA Scotiabank Arena8:00 PM

DEC 30, 2019 — Chicago, IL Allstate Arena2:30 PM

DEC 30, 2019 — Chicago, IL Allstate Arena8:00 PM

Photo: Getty Images

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