Gamertell

On February 5, 2010, PBS (Public Broadcast Service) along with Video Games Live will be recording a performance at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for an exclusive nationwide PBS special airing June 2010.

I had a chance talk to the CEO/Executive Producer and Host of Video Games Live, Tommy Tallarico, about the event.

“I’ve been a video game composer for over 20 years and our goal in creating Video Games Live was to show the world how culturally significant and artistic video games and their music have become. In order to accomplish this mission we wanted to create a show for everyone, gamer or not, young or old, male or female. Putting on a PBS special like this will definitely be raising that awareness to the non-typical gaming crowd,” Tallarico said. “The head of PBS programming [Joe Campbell] attended our show with his family when we played at WolfTrap [National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va.] with the National Symphony Orchestra this summer.  He was very excited about the possibilities and demographic crossover an event like this has.”

An outstanding opportunity that will leave PBS viewers and concert goers amazed as usual.  I asked if there were any special guests or featured tracks that we can look forward to experiencing on February 5, 2010, or on PBS in June 2010.

“Yes! There will be many special guests performing at the event which will include not only game composers from around the world, but also famous celebrity musicians and artists as well. We are talking to a lot of different people at this point and until we get the exact set list locked down everything is still up in the air,” he said. “We’ve created over 60 segments for Video Games Live since 2002 so we’re in the process right now of figuring out licensing approvals and which segments would be best for the PBS audience. There will also be a lot of additional content on the DVD, Blu-Ray and CD as well. Nothing 100% at this point, though.”
The ticket prices start at $15 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster online, by calling (800) 745-3000 or contacting the Lakefront Arena Box Office directly at (504) 280-7222 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If you miss the concert, don’t worry. It will air on PBS stations starting June 2010 followed by the release of a companion DVD and Blu-Ray video of the concert. No specific release date have been announced, only that it will be made available the summer of 2010 following an exclusive window of availability through PBS.

“You don’t have to know a thing about video games in order to come out to the show and have a greater appreciation for video games in general and specifically game music,” Tallarico said. “Most of the letters and emails we get after a performance are from non-gamers. Parallel to that, it’s also ushering in a whole new generation to come and appreciate a symphony which wasn’t our goal and plan from the beginning. I believe pop culture can have very positive influences on other (and more classic) forms of art. Video games are one of them. They have evolved into our culture and have become one of the top entertainments of choice for the 21st century.”

Site [Video Games Live] Purchase [Ticketmaster]

Image Source: Video Games Live Team Gallery