Just before the start of a recent concert at the Maltz Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, members of a symphony orchestra assembled on stage to tune their instruments.
But they weren't all dressed in formal concert attire.
A trumpet player seated in the brass section donned a red shirt, denim overalls and a red cap bearing the letter “M” on the front, just like the beloved mascot Mario of the iconic Nintendo game series. Across the ensemble, a woman in a Yoshi costume took her place in front of a large xylophone, while Jackie Kurtz, dressed as the main character from The Legend of Zelda, sat behind her harp.
These 70 or so musicians make up the Video Game Symphony, an orchestra founded in Northeast Ohio that’s solely dedicated to playing video game music.
“It’s an underrepresented area of classical music,” said Kurtz, one of the symphony’s co-founders. “But it’s so beloved by so many people — a wide range of ages and genders — and it’s really important to reach those people where they are.”
Kurtz founded the Video Game Symphony in 2023 with Andrew Keller, who shares her passion for this genre of music and is now the symphony's music director.
“We at the VGS believe this is the classical music of the future,” Keller said. “I personally believe that video game music is unparalleled in its ability to tell stories, arouse emotions and transport people into different worlds.”
Music from classic games of the ‘80s, ‘90s and even 2000s like Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and World of Warcraft are staples in the group’s repertoire.
“We focus on the classics because those have permeated the culture more,” Keller said. “But we also want to bring in new music for our younger audiences and just to stay contemporary.”
The genre spans generations, Keller said, whether someone listening grew up with the first iteration of Super Mario Brothers from the early 1980s or the last iteration of The Legend of Zelda — Breath of the Wild — released in 2017.
“All of a sudden they'll realize how great that music was and how memorable it was and now how they're feeling those emotions outside of the game without the visuals,” Keller said.
Founding the Video Game Symphony
Kurtz, who’s been a singer and a harpist since a young age, earned her degree in music education from the University of Mount Union in Alliance and master’s degrees in music theory and vocal performance from Kent State University.
That’s where she met Andrew Keller, who was working toward a doctorate degree in music theory and composition. The two bonded after discovering a mutual love of a popular ‘90s video game.
“I asked him what his favorite video game was and he said Chrono Trigger, and I said ‘That’s my favorite game, too!’” Kurtz said. “It was kind of an obscure choice so it was really exciting.”
The pair eventually developed a relationship, and they've now been dating for six years. One day, Kurtz shared a “crazy” idea she had with Keller about forming their own symphony orchestra.
“I said, ‘We should found a symphony that plays video game music,’” Kurtz said. “And he said, ‘Yes, we should.’”
Video game companies like Nintendo and Square Enix hire some orchestras, which tour and play music from certain series like Zelda and Final Fantasy, Kurtz said. But there aren't a lot of grassroots orchestras that are dedicated to playing the music.
“We’re just thinking, ‘Why don’t we have that here in Ohio?’” she said.
The pair started reaching out to the music community and building a foundation for the orchestra. Whether musicians had a love of video game music or not, there was plenty of interest in participating.
“We were very pleasantly surprised to have some people who, video game music is their passion, and some people who barely recognize the ‘Mario’ theme,” Kurtz said.
Rehearsals began in June 2023 with around 20 members. These days, the orchestra has grown to over 70, with around 20 additional members in an accompanying choir.
“We’ve found so many like-minded people that have joined and share our love for this music and our vision for this group,” Keller added. “We’re still at this point a majority volunteer orchestra, so people are just doing it out of sheer love for what we’re doing.”
Reaching new audiences
Throughout the past two years of performing, Keller said there's been a mix of audience members. Many grew up playing the games and some show up dressed as their favorite character.
“They’re lighting up like Christmas bulbs every time we play something they know,” Keller said. “And then we get people that don’t know anything about this music, anything about what we do.”
Part of the mission of the Video Game Symphony is to make orchestral music more accessible, especially to those who may not find a connection with traditional classical music.
“We're bringing an entirely new audience into the classical musical world, which is something that is so important to me,” Kurtz said. “I want people to come to see us and hear this wonderful music and I want this to maybe be their first experience going to an orchestra ever. And then maybe they'll go to more and more orchestras and support the arts in other ways.”