Music for Games, Films, and other Visuals

There are some great events happening in Boston over the next two weeks, all to do with Video Game music and sound.

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On Tuesday, November 11th, there is a joint meeting of the Boston chapter of the Audio Engineering Society and the Boston Post Mortem group. AES is the only professional organization focused solely on audio, with many chapters around the world. Boston Post Mortem is a local group of game development professionals working in and around Boston.

Presenting on the 11th will be a colleague of mine, Keith Zizza. Keith will be discussing the role of the Audio Director in games. He’ll also discuss his experience developing an audio engine based on his work with Tilted Mill. The event starts at 7pm at the Skellig pub in Waltham, follow this link for directions and details.

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Next up will be the Video Game Orchestra (VGO) performing a concert on Saturday evening November 15th. Admission is free and the concert starts at 6:30. It will include not only 45 musicians from around the Boston college community but also the Berklee Chamber Choir Club. The VGO had a concert earlier this year at a smaller venue that was wonderful. Definitely a great way to spend your early evening next Saturday!

Here is a photo from the concert this past summer

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The following week, on Wednesday November 19th, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council is hosting an event, that while not focused specifically on game audio, is focused on gaming in New England. Video Game Gold: The Prosperous Gaming Industry in Massachusetts promises to be a thorough look at just what is happening in this neck of the woods. There’s a lot more than most people realize!

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As if all of that is not enough, I’ve perhaps saved the best for last! I was blown away last March when I went to see an orchestra playing and people were cheering and hooting and having a ton of fun. In fact, I noticed that one of the musicians on that stage in San Francisco was a Berklee alum, Evan Price, formerly of the Turtle Island String Quartet and I meant to email him to ask “Just how many times do you play a concert where people cheer like the musicians are rock stars?” (Of course I never did email him… but now I suppose I should)

What is this woman talking about? you might be saying to yourself. Have any of you EVER attended an orchestral concert that involved cheering and shouting by the audience? Could it be that an audience hasn’t been this engaged with an orchestra since the riots at Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring premiere?

Ok, ok… if you know video game orchestras, you know there is only one that I could possibly be talking about. The Video Games Live world tour is visiting Boston on Friday November 21st at the Wang Theatre. If you’ve never seen one of their concerts check out this youtube video…

It promises to be a great event!

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What a great month to live in Boston!