Review: Gamer Symphony Orchestra

The Gamer Symphony Orchestra assembled via GSO

The Gamer Symphony Orchestra (GSO) started off in 2005 as the brainchild of UMD student Michelle Eng and an ensemble of musicians, primarily pulled from University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra. They started off with the idea that video game music is a legitimate form of art that should be respected as such. Over the last 5 years they've grown from a few band geeks with a dream to the powerful force of music they are today. Just being viewing the performance it's obvious that the people involved are very passionate about this project.  Their labor of love really comes out in their work.  Speaking of which...


To me the first signs that shit just got real came when I looked at the program.  Take a look.  Is that  Shadow of the Colossus and Disgaea?  Wait really?  I was expecting more stereotypical Triple A title style games.  You know, the kind that are so popular you don't even really need to be a geek to be familiar with the piece.  Yet... while the pieces and games chosen are slightly off the beaten path, they aren't so far in the woods that they are completely unheard of (Although I might have paid money to have heard some of the music from Mass Effect). I really have to give a tip of the hat to them for their total selection.  I would have liked to see more variety in general, but it was an excellent list.





While I enjoyed the concert in general, the main stand out piece was Laharl-sama no Sanbika due in no small part to the Solo (Duo?) performance by Diana and Jasmine Bestul-Taylor.  I'm a big fan vocal additions to orchestral pieces. They added an aspect of confidence and a certain level of solidarity. This song's title can be translated as "Ode to Lord Laharl", the main character of the game Disgaea. Disgaea in general had an over the top semi intense feeling to it. The performance of all involved added up to that rather well.


I'm amazed that this format of music has gained the level of traction that it has.  GSO and Video Games Live are both proof that this form of entertainment is either desired by more than just the nerd subculture or that the nerd population has grown so large that it can be catered to (outside of movies and TV shows).  The fact that we can go to concerts, orchestral performances, and museums specifically tailored to our interests now is definitely a sign of the times.  A very positive sign.  I almost feel like convention life is slowly creeping into real life.  Maybe cosplay will be a more casually accepted form of expression?


Speaking of which, I saw at least one person cosplaying in the crowd.  I mean, wow.  That's crazy awesome.  This woman was dressed as Link.  A pretty decent costume too.  If I had known it was that kind of party.... Man, perfect time for my wizard hat and robe.  I think as a culture we should make more of a habit to dress up in cosplay / cosplay like fantastic clothing, especially when going out to geek styled events. Nerd solidarity.





Last thing though.  Their zinger / encore was the main theme from Katamari Damacy.  When it started up I half stood up and said "You're kidding me? You went there"  If you heard/saw anything like that, yeah that was me.  This was not in anger though.  I was just shocked.  I can check that off my list of things to see. Really, it was the perfect end to things. All in all, check them out.  Lot's of energy, lots of passion, lots of geekery.