Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian is utilizing the Kickstarter project platform to create funding for his new CD project, a full classical symphony called "Orca".

States Serj: "I am very excited to share my most personal, compelling musical project to date: my first-ever full symphony called 'Orca'. I have an incredible opportunity to record and perform 'Orca' live with the world renowned Das Karussell Orchestra (featuring members of the Bruckner Orchester) at Brucknerhaus in Linz, Austria on October 28th, 2012 and with your involvement and support, we can make it happen!

"Many of you know my work in rock music, between SYSTEM OF A DOWN and my solo album releases. While I have rearranged some of my past rock compositions to be performed as orchestral pieces, such as the 'Elect The Dead Symphony' in 2010, 'Orca' is the first four-act symphony that I have composed, a mix of early-20th-century compositional styles combined with the powerful range of film scoring.

"I decided to name my symphony 'Orca' because orcas 'appear to have no parallel outside humans' in terms of their cultural faculties. An orca is really a dolphin with much darker tendencies. I see this dichotomy as a great metaphor for humanity.

"Last year, I wrote and recorded a professionally sampled studio version with the goal of being able to record it properly with a full orchestra…. this was not something I could capture in a small home studio.

"I was able to play with the Das Karussell Orchestra at Brucknerhaus during the 'Elect The Dead Symphony' world tour, which was an amazing experience. I shared my sampled recording of 'Orca' with them, and together we made plans for the live performance and recording to fully bring the work to life and share and distribute it to as many people as possible.

"We have put together many different ways for fans to get involved and be a part of 'Orca' from the ground up, all of which are outlined in this Kickstarter campaign. We tried to think of ways to give you every bit of music possible, and interactive, personalized experiences for those who can attend the show on October 28th, and for those who can't. Our goal is $25,000.00, which is the minimal cost for the recording. Any additional funds will be used to cover the expenses of mixing, mastering and promotion.

"We will keep you updated with news and progress so you are able to see what we do as this project grows.

"Please check it out and I hope to share this journey for 'Orca' with you all. Thank you for the support."