In pictures: Melody makers at GameCity

The consumer-facing annual GameCity festival, now in its fifth year, brings a wealth of videogames development talent to Nottingham each year to interact with game fans of all ages.

One of this year’s highlights was a concert celebrating James Hannigan’s substantial canon of videogame music (Red Alert 3, Command & Conquer 4, Republic: The Revolution, Evil Genius, Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest and Electronic Arts’ Harry Potter series) featuring a brilliant classical choir, exceptional instrumentalists, an amazing guest soprano, and eminent movie & game conductor, Allan Wilson.

Sponsored by Electronic Arts and supported by BAFTA, this unique event was more than just a concert, with Develop columnist and game audio consultant John Broomhall conducting interviews throughout the evening with both composer and conductor providing fascinating insights into the orchestral music process.

In particular, Hannigan discussed so-called ‘interactive music’ techniques with live demonstrations showing how music is structured for in-game delivery such that it can respond interactively to game events and triggers, thus supporting gameplay and narrative more closely despite the inherent lack of linear timing predictability in a game.

The candlelit atmosphere of the stunningly beautiful St Mary’s Church in Nottingham’s Lace Market (complete with live owls) provided the perfect backdrop to the event’s musical finale – the premiere of Hannigan’s new ‘Deathly Hallows’ Potter theme.

Following the concert, John Broomhall said: “It’s been a fantastic evening taking James’ wonderful music beyond the borders of videogames. I think everyone’s been impressed by the achingly beautiful renditions from the Pinewood Singers and other guests tonight. We’re very grateful to Electronic Arts and BAFTA for all their support enabling the public to meet the man behind the game music and hear him discuss his creative inspiration and process – something we hope to be repeating at future events elsewhere in the weeks to come.

Taking part were:

James Hannigan, Composer
Allan Wilson, Conductor
The Pinewood Singers
Tamara Zivadinovic, Solo Soprano
Julian Leaper, Violin
Andy Baker, Guitar
John Broomhall, Host & Presenter

If you’d be interested in hosting a similar event, please contact John at enquiries@johnbroomhall.co.uk