Video games in concert

The music composed for video games has come a long way. Once limited to simple tunes generated by early synthesizer chips, it now encompasses complex musical scores written for full orchestra.

Video game music is now also considered a key access point to orchestral music among young people, and concert venues around the world are seeing new and diverse audiences attend live performances of gaming soundtracks.

This could a development the classical music world will seek to build upon. A study by League of of American Orchestras suggests audiences for concerts have dropped by 26% since 2020, with young people being the minority of attendees.

But the genre's not always been embraced by classical music lovers. In this episode, we'll hear about the origins of music written for video games; speaking to composers and orchestras who are embracing new audiences and exciting musical works. And we'll go backstage before opening night of a concert tour showcasing music from a major video game franchise.

(Image: Gaming Prom – From 8-Bit to Infinity, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ames, in the Royal Albert Hall, on 1 August 2022, as part of the BBC Proms.)

Presented and produced by Sean Allsop