A Christian rock opera concert inspired by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is set to debut in Waco, Texas, in December, as part of a groundbreaking Nativity-themed show spotlighting the true reason for the season.

He Rules the World is set for a four-night run at the Waco Hippodrome from Dec. 11-14, offering a family-friendly performance that combines rock music, animation, narration, and a dazzling light show, which its creator says will draw audiences to focus on Christ.

Peter B. Emerson, the composer, lyricist, and executive producer, said he got the idea for the project while attending a live performance of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with his daughter in 2018.

"There were fantastic lights, lasers, LED, pyrotechnics, big guitar solos on platforms that were lifted 150 feet in the air -- and it's such a spectacle, and it's so well done, so well thought out," Emerson told Crosswalk Headlines. "And the whole time I'm there, I'm thinking, 'Man, that is really, really cool. I can do that.'"

Though Emerson enjoyed the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, he realized the concert didn't highlight the birth of Christ.

"Their Christmas show is not really about Christmas," he said. "It's Christmas adjacent -- the spirit of Christmas. There's lots of Christmas elements in it, but it's really not about the birth of Christ."

Emerson, who has a background in composing and arranging, wrote his own rock opera, which focused squarely on the Nativity story, beginning in the Old Testament prophecies and ending with the birth of Christ. It features elements from a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert but with a faith-centric twist.

"It is a visual spectacle," he said. "It is a 90-minute rock opera concert that tells the Nativity story."

The long-term goal, he added, is to see it expand.

"Trans-Siberian -- they're doing an A and a B unit, crisscrossing the country for six, seven weeks a year, reaching 25,000 people per show," he said. "I could see it doing that. I could see it in Lancaster, Pa., or in Branson, Mo., being installed somewhere. Eventually, I could see a screenplay, a live-action version. I want it to have a life of its own so that I can continue doing projects like this that are in the same vein because there are 11 other months in the year that families want high-energy, family-friendly, God-centered entertainment to go to. So I think that this is really just the beginning."

His wife, executive producer Jennifer L. Emerson, said the rock concert fills a niche in the family-friendly market.

"It's very challenging to find age-appropriate entertainment options that the whole family will enjoy," she said. "I know there's a lot of parents who struggle with that. And I think He Rules the World fits that bill."

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