Trans-Siberian Orchestra是由Savatage的御用製作人Paul O'Neill所号召组成的side-project乐团，参与的乐手包含了Savatage的团员，如领导人物keyboard手Jon Oliva、吉他手Al Pitrelli、bass手John Middleton和鼓手Jeff Plate皆全部在籍，此外更邀集了多位纽约百老匯乐界的歌手、大型交响乐团和唱诗班，共同合作以实现Paul O'Neill长久以来的音乐梦想。
在音乐界已经20年的Paul O'Neill，最早时是在百老匯的剧场担当吉他手，到了80年代中期后，他陆续成为了Aerosmith、Badlines等乐团的製作人，之后，由於和Savatage合作愉快，更成为Savatage的专属製作人，并协助Savatage陆续完成了多张备受讚誉的金属歌剧作品，包括<Streets>、<Dead Winter Dead>等，由於Savatage的成功，使得Paul O'Neill的名气也随之水涨船高。
在纽约长大的Paul O'Neill，对於孩提时期时深深感动他的一些节庆事物，特别是耶诞节，始终难以忘怀，热爱撰写故事的Paul，对於纽约市在耶诞节时街道的美丽景緻更是有难以言喻的情感，而这也正是他希望能藉由Trans-Siberian Orchestra这样的一个音乐project，来将这种节庆气氛以另一种新的风貌呈现出来的缘由。
其实从团名"Trans-Siberian Orchestra"(横越西伯利亚乐团)或许就能约略嗅出此project的音乐风格并非一般金属乐，而是以交响乐风为主轴的主题式摇滚乐剧，的确，以Paul O'Neill、Jon Oliva和另一位资深製作人Robert Kinkel三人为创作核心的TSO，採分工的合作模式，由Paul O'Neill包办专辑概念故事和歌词的编写，而Jon Oliva则发挥他的交响编曲及钢琴、键盘的弹奏能力，Robert Kindel也协助了部份创作与键盘弹奏。
如上所述，TSO的风格就是定位在抒情式的故事音乐，仅管没有什么金属味，不过Savatage式的美旋律特色依然贯穿其中，谱以大量的交响乐、键盘与钢琴演奏，眾多的男女歌手轮流献唱，再配上大量的合唱表现，使得Savatage的优美概念得以用另一种更为轻鬆活泼的形式来呈现！或许可以想像一下，将<Dead Winter Dead>专辑中激烈的部份去除，而仅将柔美的部份保留下来，大致就是Trans-Siberian Orchestra的音乐走向了！
Guitar:
Al Pitrelli (Lead) (Megadeth, Savatage, C.P.R., Widowmaker, Dee Snider, Asia)
Chris Caffery (Savatage, Metalium (Ger), John West, Doctor Butcher, guest for Circle II Circle, Eidolon and Sun Red Sun, Big Mouth, Destiny (US), Tim "Ripper" Owens (Live))
Alex Skolnick (Testament/Legacy, Savatage)
Angus Clark
Strings:
Roddy Chong
Alison Zlotow
Vocals:
Peter Shaw
Heather Gunn
Andrew Ross
Steena Hernandez
Erin Henry
Jay Pierce
Steve Broderick
Danielle Landherr
Jennifer Cella
Tommy Farese
Adrienne Warren
Jamey Garner
Alexa Goddard
Kristin Gorman
Tim Hockenberry
James Lewis
Scout
Bart Shatto
Keyboards:
Robert Kinkel (also Composer, Co-Producer)
Mee Eun Kim
Jane Mangini (Van Helsing's Curse)
Derek Wieland
Drums:
Jeff Plate (Wicked Witch, Savatage, Chris Caffery, Metal Church, Machines of Grace)
John O'Reilly
Bass:
Johnny Lee Middleton (Savatage)
Chris Altenhoff
Lead Violin:
Mark Wood
Anna Phoebe
Composers:
Jon Oliva (Savatage, Doctor Butcher, Jon Oliva's Pain)
Paul O'Neill (also Lyricst and Producer)
Narrarator:
Bryan Hicks
Tony Gaynor
by John Bush
Based in New York City, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra united a 60-piece orchestra plus chorus with the talents of Paul O'Neill, a veteran hard rock producer. The group released its debut album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, just in time for the 1996 holiday season. The Christmas Attic followed in 1998, and two years later the group issued its first non-seasonal recording, Beethoven's Last Night. In 2004, the band returned with the new album Lost Christmas Eve and collected all their Christmas recordings on the three-CD/one-DVD collection Christmas Trilogy.
