BBC Philharmonic Orchestra to perform video game music in free virtual concert

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a free virtual concert of video game music this weekend.

For The Sound of Gaming, airing on Saturday, 23rd November, the esteemed ensemble will be led by award-winning conductor and composer Eímear Noone, who’s known for her work on games such as The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone and more. The performance will include music from Fortnite, Baldur’s Gate, World of Warcraft, God of War Ragnarök and more.

The concert will be performed live at the BBC Philharmonic Studio in Media City, Salford, with footage of the conductor and musicians broadcast in a virtual studio. The pilot project by BBC Research & Development with MAX–R and Improbable will allow audience members to create avatars and explore and interact with the virtual performance space. 

“The Sound of Gaming concert project continues our commitment to making world-class classical music accessible to the widest possible audience”, BBC Philharmonic director Adam Szabo said in a press statement. “It reflects our dedication to creativity and innovation, bringing audiences closer to the music they love in new ways and connecting with new audiences in ways that are both meaningful and inspiring.”

Tune into The Sound of Gaming via the BBC website at 4 PM GMT. Those near Salford can attend the live performance in-person — tickets are available here. 

In August 2022, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ames, played the first-ever BBC Proms dedicated entirely to video game music.

Read DJ Mag’s feature on the history of dance music in video games here.