The MSU College of music explores the traditions and future directions of music when the Joanne and Bill Church West Circle Series caps off its season with an innovative concert featuring music for video games at Fairchild Theatre on Monday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. Click here for tickets to this event. 

Legends presents an immersive program that bridges genres through traditional performances and multi-media visuals and explores legendary classical composers and modern-day compositions from the adventurous world of video games. The program will also highlight short works by graduate students in MSU’s Composition area.

“We’re excited about exploring new frontiers in music through this event that honors the legends of the past while introducing the legends of today and the future, said Deborah Moriarty, professor and chair of the Piano Area and director of the series. “Thanks to the continued generosity of Joanne and Bill Church, we can venture into such exciting new territories.”

The eclectic mix of programming juxtaposes traditional classical works from J.S. Bach, Claude Debussy, Arvo Pärt and Franz Liszt with modern-day influential music in the gaming world like To Zanarkand, Hymn of the Fayth, and Legends Never Die. The music highlights a range of MSU instrumentalists from cello, piano, bassoon and percussion, as well as MSU choir and saxophone ensembles. Newly composed and arranged works by MSU composition students will also be on the program.

Eileen Snyder is among the MSU graduate students whose work will be featured, and is a masters student studying with Associate Professor of Composition Zhou Tian. Earlier in the academic year, Snyder collaborated with students from MSU’s Game Design and Development Program in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and composed music for a stealth and strategy game. That experience, she said, rekindled her passion for video game music that began as a teen when she transcribed and arranged Nintendo music for the piano.

“Video game music is actually the reason I’m a composer at all,” said Snyder. “Ninth-grade Eileen would flip if she knew that she’d not only get the chance to write for a video game, but that she’d also have her video game music performed on stage.” 

Legends is sponsored by Joanne and Bill Church, who sponsor the entire West Circle series. Previous concerts in the series were also supported through the generosity of Mike and Midge Morrow, Byron and Dee Cook, Ann-Marie and John Lindley in memory of Marian Braund, and April Clobes and Glen Brough.

Legends is part of a jam-packed week of chamber music at MSU, that includes the beloved Ken and Sandy Beall Cello Plus Chamber Music Festival, April 4-9. Information on Legends, Cello Plus and other concerts, recitals and performances can be found on the MSU College of Music events pages.

Reserved seating tickets for individual events are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors (age 60 and older), and $7 for students and those under 18. Please note: As of March 6, the university will no longer require patrons to wear masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to attend events hosted by the College of Music.