Video Games at Symphony Hall

A group of Berklee students, alumni, faculty, and guest artists put on a concert of film and video game music to rival the best shows at Symphony Hall.

Brenda Pike

April 8, 2011

Wataru Hokoyama presents his award-winning <i>Afrika</i> suite.

Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Wataru Hokoyama laughs after conducting the audience's applause.

Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Alan Silvestri conducts his own music from <i>Back to the Future 3</i>.

Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Alumnus Lucas Vidal conducts music he composed for the upcoming Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver movie <i>The Cold Light of Day</i>.

Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Student Emir Cerman's Rhythm of the Universe culminated with flags unfurling from the balcony, representing the 90-plus countries the musicians hailed from.

Photo by Phil Farnsworth

The venerable Symphony Hall experienced a first this April: a concert showcasing music from video games. Berklee's Back to the Future: Two Generations of Film and Video Composers concert featured film music by alumni in the first half and video game music performed by alumnus Shota Nakama's Video Game Orchestra(Opens in a new window) in the second half. The event mirrors a trend at Berklee, where a video game scoring minor and two summer programs have recently been added to the film scoring curriculum to keep up with students' demands.

Composers Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future) and Wataru Hokoyama (Afrika) were on hand to conduct their own pieces, as were alumni composers Lucas Vidal and Keith Murray. Student Emir Cerman's Rhythm of the Universe(Opens in a new window) featured musicians from more than 90 different countries.

Click on the photo on the left to see a slideshow of photos from the concert.