This week’s column is all about one thing, as Anna Phoebe makes an exclusive announcement concerning the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Click here to read Anna’s previous columns.

Hello TSO friends, family and supporters!

I have been involved with the Trans Siberian Orchestra for six years now – it has been the most incredible experience both on and off stage. Everyone involved in Trans Siberian Orchestra, from the band, to the crew, to the fans, has grown to become part of my extended family, and I feel really lucky to have been a part of it! The TSO is truly one of the world’s most spectacular touring bands… it has been an FANTASTIC ride!

It has been an honour to be part of such a great band and share the stage with such incredible singers and musicians, and it has been an honour to be part of Paul O’Neill’s vision and dream. He is truly a remarkable man. No other band in the world could offer the kind of touring experience that TSO has given me, and I am certain that few other bands are lucky enough to have the kind of support we get from the TSO fans. The support I have received from you has been amazing and truly overwhelming.

However, I think it is now the right time for me to move on. It has been a very difficult decision to make, and not one that I have made easily, but I feel that I have taken my role as TSO violinist as far as it can go, and it is time for me to hand the bow to someone else. When I started with TSO over six years ago, the role of violinist was to sit with the string section and come out for one or two songs. Over the years this role has grown, and together with the other violinists in the band we have taken the violin to a role which has become an integral part of the band and of the performance. I am so proud to have been a part of this!

I want to say thank you to all the musicians and singers past and present, to the crew, to Nightcastle Management and most of all to you, the fans, for making this such a mind-blowing journey. When I was 12 and practising for classical music exams I could never have imagined that 10 years later I would be touring all across the United States playing rocked-out Christmas music amidst lasers, lights and fire! Unbelievable!

I hope that many of you will continue to keep in touch via online or in person. I will be continuing to tour with Roxy Music in 2011 – we have a UK arena tour booked starting in January and will go to Australia in February. Hopefully there will be some US dates booked next year too!

Most exciting of all, my first two albums have been orchestrated for violin, piano and full symphony orchestra by co-writer Joost van den Broek. I am now setting up dates to perform these in the Middle East with the Syrian Philharmonic Orchestra, then possibly in Amsterdam in January and in Ireland with the Limerick University Orchestra in May. If you know of any University/State Orchestras who might be interested let me know!

If you can’t quite make it across the globe to see me play, you can follow my weekly thoughts and exploits in my weekly blog right here. And of course there is always Twitter – www.twitter.com/annaphoebe.

I hope to see you somewhere on the road in the future.  Thank you for all you support.

www.annaphoebe.com