Spring 2024 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: Saturday, April 6th at 7 pm
- Where: The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert is free and ticketed! Tickets can be found here.
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
April Fool's Event Grand Opening
- When: April 1st, 2024
- Where: Everywhere on Earth
Fall 2023 Concert
- When: Saturday, December 16th at 2pm and Sunday, December 17th at 7pm
- Where: Dekelboum Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The GSO is back with another set of concerts this semester! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This time, we're bringing you pieces from Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, and more!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page here:
Get Tickets!
Can't make it to the concert? We'll livestream it on our Twitch page!
Twitch Stream
Fall 2023 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: Saturday, November 4th at 7 pm
- Where: Memorial Chapel
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert is located in the Memorial Chapel this semester! It is free and unticketed. Please note: Parking will be limited, please consider alternate transportation or supporting us virtually!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Spring 2023 Concert
- When: Sunday, May 14th at 2pm and 7pm
- Where: Dekelboum Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The GSO is back with another set of concerts this semester! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This time, we're bringing you pieces from Pokemon, Mario, Animal Crossing, and more!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page here: Get Tickets!
Can't make it to the concert? We'll livestream it on our Twitch page!
Twitch Stream
Spring 2023 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: Sunday, April 16th at 7 pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert is TICKETED this semester! Tickets are free and can be found here.
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Fall 2022 Concert
- When: Sunday, December 11th at 2 pm and 7 pm
- Where: Dekelboum Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The GSO is back with another set of concerts this semester! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This time, we're bringing you pieces from Pokemon, Sonic, Undertale, Deltarune, Plants vs. Zombies, and many more!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page using the ticket link here:
Get Tickets!
Can't make it to the concert? We'll livestream it on our Twitch page!
Twitch Stream
Fall 2022 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: Saturday, November 5th, 7-9pm EST
- Where: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert will be on Saturday, November 5th starting at 7:00pm at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. This is not a ticketed event!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Spring 2022 Concert
- When: May 8, 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm
- Where: Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Join us for our Spring 2022 concerts! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This semester, our selections include pieces from Pokemon, Hollow Night, Legend of Zelda, and much more! We are eager for you to come and watch our talented members perform!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page-here
Spring 2022 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: April 16th, 7:00pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert will be on Saturday, April 16th starting at 7:00pm in Gildenhorn Hall at the Clarice. This is not a ticketed event!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Gaming4Life
- When: March 12, 4:30 - 10:00 pm
- Where: STAMP, Grand Ballroom Lounge
Do you enjoy playing video games with others? How about gaming tournaments?
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is hosting Gaming4Life: a gaming social for charity! All proceeds from this event benefit the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Come compete in one of our many gaming tournaments - or if you prefer casual video games, we will have many fun multiplayer games as well! Board and card games will also be available to play.
Entry is free, but we will graciously accept cash and credit card donations to Children's National!
Giving Day
- When: March 9th
- Where: Everywhere!
Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising event held on March 6 for all members of the University of Maryland community. Students, faculty, staff, parents, friends and alumni are invited to join the largest day of giving because we are all Terps! The goal is to raise critical funding and engage our community to advance the mission of the University of Maryland.
UMD Giving Day is a wonderful opportunity to donate to our organization so we can keep bringing you orchestral music from all of your favorite games! Please consider supporting us, and remember that UMD will match every dollar you give! You can learn more about Giving Day here.
Donate now!
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Delayed Fall 2021 Concert
- When: February 27, 3:00 pm February 28, 7:00 pm
- Where: Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Join us for our delayed Fall 2021 concerts! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This semester, our selections include pieces from Pokemon, Zelda, Frogger, and much more! We are eager for you to come and watch our talented members perform!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page using the ticket link here:
Get Tickets
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Fall 2021 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: October 24, 7:00pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Small Ensemble Concert is an opportunity not only for individual members to showcase their talents, but also for us to perform pieces that we otherwise could not as a large full orchestra ensemble. Join us on a foray into the world of video game music.
If you are unable to attend, you can still enjoy the performance through our Twitch stream!
First Look Fair
- When: September 29th, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Where: McKeldin Mall
Come meet some of the members of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra and get all the information for our Fall Auditions!
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Fall 2020 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: November 7, 7:00pm
- Where: Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Chamber Concert is an opportunity not only for individual members to showcase their talents, but also for us to perform pieces that we otherwise could not as a large full orchestra ensemble. Join us on a foray into the world of video game music.
Due to the pandemic, we are unable to invite an in person audience, but you can still enjoy the performance through our Twitch stream!
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Fall 2019 Concert
- When: November 18th and 24th
- Where: Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Join us for our Fall 2019 concerts! The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music and using that music as an educational tool. All of our arrangements are created by GSO members and alumni. This semester, our selections include pieces from Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Fire Emblem and much more! We are eager for you to come and watch our talented members perform!
You can reserve your free tickets from the Clarice's event page here!
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Chamber Concert
- When: October 26, 7:00pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Chamber Concert is an opportunity not only for individual members to showcase their talents, but also for us to perform pieces that we otherwise could not as a large full orchestra ensemble. Join us on a foray into the world of video game music.
No tickets are required but you can see the Clarice's page here!
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Spring 2019 Concert
- When: 12:30pm on May 4th and 5th
- Where: Dekelboum Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The GSO is back with another set of concerts this semester! This time, we're bringing you pieces from Final Fantasy 15, Abzu, Undertale, Fire Emblem and many more!
The concerts will be on May 4 and 5, each starting at 12:30pm at Dekelboum Hall at the Clarice. Tickets are free, but you need to reserve them using the ticket link here:
Get Tickets
Can't make it to the concert? We will have a livestream on our Twitch page!
Open Twitch Stream
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 130 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Spring 2019 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: April 14th, 7:00pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert will be on Sunday, April 14th starting at 7:00pm in Gildenhorn Hall at the Clarice. This is not a ticketed event!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Gaming4Life
- When: Saturday, April 6th, from 5:30 to 11:00pm
- Where: The Prince George's Room in Stamp Student Union
Do you enjoy playing video games with others? How about gaming tournaments?
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is hosting Gaming4Life: a gaming social for charity! All proceeds from this event benefit the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Come compete in one of our many gaming tournaments - or if you prefer casual video games, we will have many fun multiplayer games as well! Board and card games will also be available to play.
The event will run be held in the Prince George's Room in Stamp Student Union on Saturday, April 6th, from 5:30 to 11:00pm. Entry is free, but we will graciously accept cash and credit card donations to Children's National!
Fall 2018 Concert
- When: December 8th and 9th at 12:30pm
- Where: Dekelboum Hall at the Clarice H. Smith Performing Arts Center
Looking for the coolest VGM concert out there? The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is your Final Destination! We are back and better than ever in our Fall 2018 Concert! This time, we're bringing you pieces from Super Smash Bros, Breath of the Wild, Pokemon, Octopath Traveler and many more!
Our concert will be on both December 8th and 9th, starting at 12:30pm both days. Once again we are performing in Dekelboum Hall at the Clarice H. Smith Performing Arts Center: tickets are free but required for entry, so make sure to get yours in the ticketing link below!
Get Tickets
Can't make it to the concert? We will have a livestream on our Twitch page!
Open Twitch Stream
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 130 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Gaming4Life
- When: Friday, November 30th, from 5:30 to 10:30pm
- Where: Prince George’s Room at the Stamp Student Union.
Do you enjoy playing video games with others? How about gaming tournaments?
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is hosting Gaming4Life: a gaming social for charity! All proceeds from this event benefit the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Come compete in one of our many gaming tournaments - or if you prefer casual video games, we will have many fun multiplayer games as well! Board and card games will also be available to play.
The event will run be held in the Prince George’s Room in Stamp Student Union on Friday, November 30th, from 5:30 to 10:30pm. Entry is free, but we will graciously accept cash and credit card donations to Children's National! We hope to see you there!
GSO Ten Asian Food Hall Fundraiser
- When: Sunday, November 11th, 7:30pm-9:30pm
- Where: Ten Asian Food Hall
Come and join the GSO after our rehearsal at Ten Asian Food Hall for some yummy bubble tea, Korean fried chicken, and poke bowls!
15% of your purchase goes towards the GSO in order to help fund our entirely student-run orchestra! But in order for your purchase to count your total bill MUST be more than $9.00.
The fundraiser will go from 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Sunday, November 11th. We hope to see you there!
Fall 2018 Small Ensemble Concert
- When: Sunday, October 21st starting at 7:00pm
- Where: Gildenhorn Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back to bring you our semesterly Small Ensemble Concert! This concert features small-scale video game music arrangements that were prepared by our members outside of regular rehearsal time. They are working hard to present to you the best of what the GSO has to offer!
The Small Ensemble Concert will be on Sunday, October 21st starting at 7:00pm in Gildenhorn Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Tickets are free and will be available at the door and online.
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student-run symphonic orchestra consisting of more than 120 musicians, including a full choir. Since our establishment in 2005, we have strived to promote video game music as an art form and to continue bringing video game worlds to life through orchestral arrangements - almost all of which are created by our own members.
Watch on Twitch!Fall Concert Details are Now Available!
Calling all GSO fans: start planning for our fall concert now!
This semester's concert will be at 12:30pm, Saturday December 2nd in the usual hall in the Clarice.
As always, our concerts are FREE but you will need to reserve tickets to make sure you have a seat! Please go to the Clarice's ticketing site to claim your free seats.
For more details, and to see who else you know might be going, RSVP to our official Facebook event as well! Hope to see you there!
GSO Featured in TERP Magazine!
As many of our fans know, the GSO is a unique organization - both on campus and in the larger music and gaming communities - because the GSO was the first orchestra of its type, a full symphonic orchestra and chorus that focuses solely on video game music.
The GSO's popularity continues even as the group hits one dozen years old. Each end-of-semester concert fills the largest auditorium on campus, membership remains as one of the biggest student groups on campus, and arrangers from across the country submit sheet music for our consideration.
After another successful First Look Fair, the GSO was featured as one of eight "First" Choice groups, highlighting the wacky and wonderful student group possibilities available at UMD. Special thanks to writer Daniel Oyefusi and artist Jason Keisling for the fun feature!
Spring semester: a record number of concerts!
Last semester, we added a "small ensemble showcase" to our regular schedule. Spring is also when Maryland Day occurs, and the two times we've performed at the Smithsonian were also in spring. As such, it's not uncommon for us to have two or three performances in the spring, versus the one performance per fall that we've historically had. This spring, though, we're looking at having at least four concerts.
Yes, four! (And maybe five.)
In addition to the small ensemble showcase and Marlyand Day, we have one big announcements that is expanding our schedule this semester:
- GSO is honored to announce that we will be performing at the Kennedy Center this March as a featured performance of the new Direct Current series.
We hope you're as excited for this amazing opportunities as we are! And keep your eyes out... As if we're not crazy enough, there might be another one in the works. Check the Events page for more info.
A fall semester "Thank You"
Between a rebranding and expansion of our video game tournament charity event, an all-new kind of concert specifically for small ensembles, a new YouTube channel, multiple fundraising events for us, and a main concert that was almost entirely made of newly arranged pieces, the GSO took on a lot of "Fearless Ideas". Thanks to you, our fans, each and every one of our endeavors this semester was a HUGE success! We're so glad that you enjoy video games and video game music as much as we do.
We hope to keep providing you with events to enjoy and opportunities to interact with us. Fall semester concert videos are already up on our YouTube page, and the MP3s will be available on our website early Spring semester. Also, we hope you like concerts, because spring semester is looking like it will be full to bursting with them!
Fall 2017 Officer Board
Congratulations to the following students who were elected by their fellow GSO members to serve on the GSO administrative committee for the upcoming school year:
- President: Alex Yu (previous VP)
- Vice President: Arden Qui (previous Secretary)
- Treasurer: Suzie Demeritte (returning)
- Secretary: Hojin Yoon
- Music Director: Chun Mun Loke
- Social Director: Beth Riege (previous O@L)
- Orchestra Manager: Wil Combs (returning)
- Officers at Large: Vivian Ding and Lawrence Guloy
Appointed positions were confirmed shortly after election results were known. The rest of the Fall 2017 officer board is as follows:
- Orchestra Conductors: Leanne Cetorelli (returning) and Michael Mitchell (returning)
- Choral Directors: Chase Frederick (previous Social Director) and Jessica Tsai
- PR Director: Sarah Jackson
- Webmaster: Austin Hope (returning)
- Fundraising Directors: Cassie Herman and Cindy Xie
CONCERT: From Bits to Brass: A Symphonic Adventure through Video Game Music
- When: Saturday, March 10th, 2018, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Where: The Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center
Join the Gamer Symphony Orchestra for a spectacular musical journey celebrating video game music as a means for gamers, musicians, and enthusiasts alike to share stories of passion, learning, and friendship. Featuring popular pieces from all across the video game music landscape, this showcase of musical masterpieces will help you discover the magic where games and music meet. Our program will include many VGM classics such as the signature pieces from Civilization IV, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Journey, and Final Fantasy VII.
This event is free, but seating is limited and there is no free parking, so plan accordingly! There will be a Facebook Live stream of the performance on the Kennedy Center's official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyCenter/.
This event is part of Direct Current, the Kennedy Center's new two-week celebration of contemporary culture. See other Direct Current events here: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/series/DCT
FUNDRAISER: Ten Ren's Tea Time
- When: Thursday, March 15th, 2018, 11:00 am - 11:30 pm
- Where: Ten Ren's, College Park
One of GSO's favorite local restaurants, Ten Ren's Tea Time will be the host of our next fundraising event. Come enjoy some bubble tea and good food while a portion of your purchase gets donated back to the orchestra!
Show THIS FLYER when paying in order for your purchase to go toward GSO. Having a paper copy or showing it from your phone are both acceptable options.
CONCERT: Spring 2018 small ensemble showcase
- When: Saturday, April 7th, 2018, evening TBD
- Where: UMD Memorial Chapel
After a rousing success of our first ever small ensemble showcase last fall, we decided to do it again! Come hear some of our most dedicated members solos and small ensembles that they've arranged and rehearsed on their own time outside of regular full orchestra rehearsal for the love of video game music. Music will include selections from NieR, The Last of Us, Child of Light, Super Mario Odyssey, Professor Layton, and many more!
We are looking in to providing a livestream of this concert as is typical of our normal full orchestra concerts - watch this space for updates.
This concert is entirely FREE and NO TICKETS are required - just show up and enjoy! We hope to see you there!
CONCERT: Spring 2018 full orchestra concert
- When: Friday AND Saturday, April 20th & 21st, evening
- Where: The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Contract and performance opportunities are still being finalized; stay tuned, but get HYPE for not one but TWO concerts this semester!
CHARITY: Gaming4Life
- When: Saturday, May 5th, 2018, 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm Where: Prince George's Room of Stamp Student Union
Our signature video game tournament to raise money for Children's National Hospital will return this April. We'll be hosting multiple tournaments (with prizes!) in addition to having plenty of video, board, and card games just for fun, plus snacks, so there should be something for everyone.
As always, feel free to donate as much as you like when you arrive! Admission itself is free, but all of the donations we receive will go directly to Children's Hospital - so please consider dropping off at least $5 when you show up at the door. Also, contact us if you would be willing to let us borrow TVs/laptops/consoles/games!
RSVP to the Gaming4Life Facebook event to let us know you're coming! Keep an eye on the posts there for extra announcements, like related events or what tournaments will be held.
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student run ensemble, funded only by the UMD SGA and our generous fans' donations. Please visit our Giving to Maryland page to show your support through a tax-deductible donation!
Welcome back everyone!
Hope you had an excellent Labor Day weekend! Fall semester is now truly upon us all.
The GSO had a very busy long weekend with two big events! First up was our Music Selection, where we went through a record number of new piece submissions and - maybe not surprisingly - now have a concert setlist of almost entirely new music! Get hype!
We also had an impromptu social event the same day for returning members and students potentially interested to join. We even got music selection done soon enough that the attendees of the social were the first to hear exactly which pieces we'll be playing this semester!
Keep an eye on this space and on the Events page, since we're aiming to have far more community events than we've had in previous fall semesters! Adn good luck on the new school year!
Spring Concert Recordings now online!
Greetings GSO fans! If you've been looking for a way to relive our Spring 2017 concert, we have you covered!
The Spring 2017 audio recordings are now online. Head on over to our Listen page to check them out!
A YouTube playlist of our concert should be available in the coming weeks, too.
Hope you've enjoyed your summer! Get ready, because an awesome fall semester is just around the corner! How awesome? Potentially-the-most-new-pieces-we've-ever-had-in-a-single-semester awesome, that's what's up.
GSO Summer Update #1
School may be out, but GSO does not rest!
Out new officer board will be meeting semi-regularly to prep for the upcoming fall semester, including fundraisers and many some more performance opportunities.
Our arrangers are even harder at work, with what looks to be the largest influx of potential new pieces that we've ever seen! Music selection this fall will be intense, and next semester should have quite the program.
Rembmer to keep an eye on our Twitter and tumblr accounts, too!
New Look!
We've updated the front page of our website! Hopefully you all like the more dynamic look.
Our Listen page has also been updated so it's more user-friendly.
Finally, the mobile version of the website has a new header, which should also be more user-friendly now.
Let us know what you think!
Charitable Times
Do you want to donate to GSO? Or help GSO donate to an awesome organization, Children's National Hospital? Either way, we have an upcoming event for you!
Our annual Deathmatch for Charity is back the first week of April. Come play video games for fun or for glory! Admission and whatever extra donations you give will benefit Children's National Hospital.
Then, the Monday before our spring concert, we'll be hosting a fundraising dinner at Blaze Pizza! Who doesn't like pizza?
Of course, if you want to donate to GSO at any time, you can also give directly to our Giving to Maryland fund. ;D
Fall 2016 Extra Events
Are you upest and lost now that GSO's fall concert is over a month earlier than usual?
Never fear! We're planning on multiple GSO events to fill the last month of the school year for you!
Watch this space for links to favrious fundraising and social events!
Fundraiser @ DP Dough: Tue. Nov. 29 - Posted Nov. 26
Fundraiser @ Potbelly: Wed. Nov. 30 - Posted Nov. 25
Fall 2016 Concert Details
Our concert is less than two weeks away! Come out for a fantastic evening of live, orchestrated video game music performed by the Gamer Symphony Orchestra (GSO) at UMD! We have prepared many wonderful selections including pieces from Pokemon, Uncharted, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, and more.
Saturday, November 19th - 7pm @ Dekelboum Hall in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
As always, our concert is FREE. Seating is open, and will be first-come-first-serve, so make sure to get there early! Due to coordination and timing issues, we will not be going through CSPAC ticketing this semester.
Facebook event: here
Press Release: here
Live TwitchTV stream: here
Spring 2016 Concert Recordings
Our official recordings from out 10th anniversary concert are in! Head of over to the Listen area of the site to have a listen, see the program, and link over to YouTube if you want to watch as well as listen.
Special thanks to the BGSO and WMGSO for sending members to help us celebrate our 10th anniversay, and of course thanks to CSPAC for providing us with such professional recordings as always.
Welcome back! And welcome class of 2020!
It's that time again! Everyone's moved in and classes are starting, which means GSO rehearsals aren't far behind! Music selection will be the first week of September, with the first rehearsal for returning members beginning soon after. New members are welcome to come to early rehearsals as well.
We will officially be recruiting and welcoming new members at the First Look Fair on September 14th & 15th at McKeldin Mall. Hope to see all of you fresh faces there! Our first full combined orchestra-and-chorus rehearsal will be the second Sunday after First Look Fair.
Finally, we're trying something new this year and expanding our web presence to tumblr! Go check it out for things like member interviews and dank GSO memes.
2016-17 Officer Board
Congratulations to the following students who were elected by their fellow GSO members to serve on the GSO administrative committee for the upcoming school year:
- President: Dakota Sparks (previous VP)
- Vice President: Alex Yu
- Treasurer: Suzie Demeritte
- Secretary: Arden Qiu
- Music Director: Matt Chin
- Social Director: Chase Frederick (previous O@L)
- Fundraising Director: Jasmine Hawkins
- Officers at Large: Jon Seibert and Beth Riege
Appointed positions were confirmed shortly after election results were known. The rest of the 2016-17 officer board is as follows:
- Orchestra Conductors: Leanne Cetorelli (returning) and Michael Mitchell
- Choral Directors: Jonathan Hansford (returning) and Marshall Tyers (returning)
- Orchestra Manager: unfilled
- PR Director: Marissa Tonkay (returning)
- Webmaster: Austin Hope (returning)
The orchestra manager position will be filled some time during the summer.
10th Anniversary Concert ticketing details
As mentioned earlier, our concert is being ticketed this year to avoid overcrowding issues in Dekelboum. This means that all guests in attendance MUST HAVE A TICKET TO GET INTO THE CONCERT! Tickets are FREE, but required for entry! You are allowed to reserve more than one ticket at once. Request your ticket(s) online HERE, then pick them up at the Will Call booth in the lobby of CSPAC.
Tickets do not guarantee admission. Arrive early to claim your seat. If tickets are not claimed 15 minutes before the performance, they are subject to being released to a standby line.
Day-of Waitlist: If necessary, The Clarice will form a waitlist starting 1 hour prior to the performance. Starting 15 minutes before, we will begin calling names for any available seats. You must be present when your name is called to claim your ticket or we will move on to the next person on the list. Additionally, we will re-issue any tickets that have been returned prior to the day of the performance.
For additional information, visit the official event page on The Clarice Website.
10th Anniversary Hype!
Hi everyone! GSO has turned 10 years old this school year, and we have an amazing semester planned to celebrate! Keep an eye on our Events tab for yummy fundraisers, Deathmatch for Charity, and a spring concert that will feature nearly 200 musicians! This concert will be a GSO experience like you've never had before.
As advance notice, we will likely be ticketing our concert this semester. Don't worry, it'll still be free! Considering how well we've packed Dekelboum the past few semesters, we just might need to cap attendance to not run afoul of fire code. You guys are such awesome fans! Stay tuned, we'll hopefully be able to say more about our spring concert soon.
For everyone going to MAGFest this weekend, have fun and enjoy the Super Smash Opera!
Eat for GSO
Two days after our fall concert, we will be holding a funsraising event at Jason's Deli in College Park. You can come have a nice meal with friends while also supporting your favorite orchestra! It's the first day of finals, so what better way to relax? If you need any more convincing, Jason's has free soft serve ice cream - yes, we know it's mid-December, but how can you turn down free dessert? Please RSVP here so Jason's knows roughly how many people will be showing up over the course of the day.
GSO's 10th Anniversary!
Fall 2015 marks tens years since GSO was founded, so this year we'll be celebrating our milestone! Keep an eye on our main page here to news and special events, and make sure to come to our epic fall concert (see the Events tab for details).
Spring 2015 Events!
It's spring again, and Gamer Symphony Orchestra is back in action preparing for our biggest semester ever! This spring you will have three chances to see the GSO perform, so we are preparing a large, diverse setlist for video game music fans of all tastes.
First, we'll be previewing our concerts as part of the Maryland Day festivities on campus at the University of Maryland on Saturday, April 25th at 3 P.M. Be sure to come by early to experience all the awesome Maryland Day events and to ensure you get parking! To learn more about this performance and the countless other amazing activities on Maryland Day, check out the Maryland Day website here.
Next, come to Dekelboum Hall in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on May 2nd at 7:30 P.M. to see the GSO doing what we love most on our home stage. We plan to stream this concert on Twitch, so even if you can't make it College Park, be sure to check us out online! This is sure to be an unforgettable night of music!
Finally, we will be capping off an amazing season with a performance the following weekend at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on May 9th at 3 P.M, as part of the Watch This! Revelations in Media Art exhibition. The GSO last performed at the Smithsonian in 2012 as part of their Art of Video Games exhibition, and we are thrilled to be returning.
We are putting extra work into all our pieces this semester to make every performance great. The last thing we need is you!
Hope to see you there!
MAGFest Update
For those of you who found our site after receiving one of our fliers at MAGFest 13 this past weekend, thank you for checking us out! We had a great time meeting you all this weekend, and we appreciate the support and interest expressed by attendees during MAGFest.
Unfortunately, there was an incident at the festival and we lost one of our email listserv signup sheets. If you are interested in receiving occasional emails from us with information about performances and recordings, you can still sign up here.
Fall 2014 Concert on December 6th at 2pm at Dekelboum Concert Hall in CSPAC!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra at the University of Maryland has been having an awesome year. After another powerful concert this past spring, we hit the ground running with our performance at the NextNOW Festival to kick off the season at The Clarice on campus. We were able to showcase some of our very talented individuals and small ensembles at the performance, and we were glad to see so many supporters there!
We are now underway with preparations for our fall performance, which we hope will be the best one yet! We'll be debuting pieces from games like World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King and Pokémon X & Y, and playing classic selections from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and more!
Catch us performing on Saturday December 6 at 2 p.m. at Dekelboum Concert Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Hope to see you there!
Spring 2014 Concert on May 3 and Maryland Day Performance on April 26
The GSO is excited to announce its Spring 2014 performances. If you're on campus on Maryland Day (April 26), come see a preview of our concert at 12:15 pm in the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Dekelboum Concert Hall. Our Spring Concert will be the next week on May 3, 2014 from 2 pm to 4 pm, also in the Dekelboum Concert Hall.
This semester's lineup includes 12 exciting arrangements from games like Mass Effect, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Animal Crossing, Starfox, and more. We hope to see you there!
Fall 2013 Concert on December 7th at 2pm in CSPAC's Dekelboum Concert Hall!
The GSO's fall concert is shaping up to be one of our best yet! We will be performing new arrangements from Megaman II, Terra's Theme (From Final Fantasy XI), and we will be bringing back crowd favorites such as our Pokemedley and Halo! The concert will be on Saturday, December 7th at 2pm in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Dekelboum Concert Hall! We hope to see you there! The event is on CSPAC's event calendar here !
GSO on the Kojo Nnamdi Show!
The GSO's president and vice-president (Joel Guttman and Zoe DiGiorgio) had the privilege of appearing on The Kojo Nnamdi Show to discuss the growing popularity of orchestral video game music with Chad and Susie Seiter from The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses! In addition to his work with Symphony of the Goddesses, Chad also provided the GSO with the arrangement of Terra's Theme from Final Fantasy XI that we will be performing at our fall concert. You can hear the segment here !
Fall Semester and the new UCLA GSO
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra has been busy lately! In addition to gearing up for its Fall 2013 concert, we have also been hard at work helping other schools start video game orchestras of their very own! We are pleased to announce the creation of the Video Game Orchestra and Choir at the University of California, Los Angeles! Their recently had their first performance for none other than the amazing Nobuo Uematsu and his band, The Earthbound Papas! We are incredibly proud of them and look forward to seeing them grow!
A Concert to Remember
The GSO's Spring 2013 concert was one of our most successful to date, and we've uploaded the recordings for listening and free download as per usual!
The concert was quite emotional, being a memorial for our tubist, David Scherr. However, the emotions were all positive ones, focusing on David's spirit and his contributions to the orchestra. David's Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario World arrangements were both performed, and an extra chair was left on stage for him.
In addition, the concert was the final performance for our long-time conductress, Kira Levitzky. After five years with the group (four of them as conductress), she now moves on to teaching music in Baltimore County's public schools. We wish her the best of luck and thank her for her tireless efforts which helped make the GSO the group it is today.
We also had a celebrity in the house! Austin Wintory (the Grammy-nominated composer from the game Journey) was in attendance at the concert, and even did a seminar the night before. The seminar can be found
here!
What excitement and wonders will our next concert hold? You'll just have to wait and find out!
Spring Semester and Tuba Crowdfunding Success
The spring semester approaches with a success - the GSO now officially owns a tuba! Thanks to everyone's support and contributions to the indiegogo project, we raised $4,623. Some of this extra money will be used to engrave the tuba in the late David Scherr's memory.
This semester, we've decided to forgo our customary orientation/meet & greet event. On Thursday 1/24, we will be hosting a gathering in Memorial Chapel, in memory of David Scherr. That's from 7:00-8:00pm in the main chapel. Anyone in the UM community who would wish to pay their respects to David is invited to join us, not just our members. You are welcome to invite others. We will be sharing memories, unveiling the GSO's brand-new tuba, and maybe singing something appropriate.
We look forward to making this semester a great one for our members and our fans. Event dates will be announced as they are received. See you soon!
IndieGoGo Tuba Crowdfunding and Fall 2012 Concert!
Not only is the event you've been waiting since the Spring to see right on the tip of our tongues, but
the GSO needs YOUR HELP to buy a Tuba!
We've put together a crowdfunding campaign hosted by
indiegogo
which, with your help, can move the GSO forward to purchasing its very own tuba. Much like the drumset you see on stage, a tuba is a very expensive but very vital instrument to any ensemble's overall sound quality. Visit the
GSO Tuba indiegogo page
to find out more.
In the unfortunate event that we are unable to reach our goal, all funds raised will go toward the continued rental of the tuba, bringing down the purchase price even further with the hope that we will be able to purchase it sometime in the future. Should we go over our funding goal, all excess funds will go towards our operating costs. It's surprisingly expensive to operate a student-run orchestra. Of our approximately $17,000 yearly operating budget, the UMD Student Government Association funds less than a third of that. The rest of the cost has to be covered by donations from members and fans like you.
Returning to Dekelboum Hall in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, December 1 at 2:00pm, for FREE as always, we'll be playing pieces from some of the classics - Zelda, Kirby, Final Fantasy - as well as some more niche favorites. What are they? You'll just have to come see us to find out!
Radio Show New Time
The Super GSO Bros. Super Show has a new time - Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm on WMUC's digital channel.
Spring 2012 Recordings
Guess what's finally up, everybody? Our Spring 2012 recordings! You can listen and download them for free here !
GSO on CBS!
Miss GSO's featured blurb on CBS This Morning ? Check it out here !
Thank You For Our Best Concert Yet!
We have stumbled to find the words to properly express our gratitutde for the turnout at our
Smithsonian Art of Video Games
performance on Sunday, April 29th. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who made it out to see and support us. We hope the experience was as memorable for you as it was for each of our members. Estimates of attendance fall around the 1,100 mark, as seen in the photo to the right - we've never had an audience sit on the floor before!
Full videos of the concert, courtesy our founder Michelle Eng, can be found
here
. MP3s of this semester's pieces will be available soon on our
Listen
page, so keep an eye out! Also coming soon, a gallery of photographs captured before, after, and throughout the performance!
The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a student run ensemble, funded only by the UMD SGA and our generous fans' donations. Please visit our
Giving to Maryland
page to show your support through a tax-deductible donation!
We look forward to seeing you in the Fall!
GSO Radio Show!
We have a radio show ! Tune in to hear us on WMUC for the semester, Friday nights/Saturday mornings from midnight to 2 am on the digital channel, which you can listen to on the WMUC website . We'll be playing video game music, discussing music in the game industry, and other fun stuff. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the show, please feel free to email us at umd@gamersymphony.org!
Fall 2011 Concert Recordings and MAGFest Adventures
Concert recordings are available here , and a video playlist here , courtesy our founder, Michelle Eng! - Did you take photos or videos? Share them with us at umd@gamersymphony.org! Miss the performance? Take a look at the program here , in a PDF for your convenience.
The GSO had a fantastic time at MAGFest X. Our panel, "Orchestral Game Music and Society", had a decent turnout, and
our Jamspace performance
had a small but enthusiastic audience.
The best audience we could have asked for, however, was Nobuo Uematsu himself and
the Earthbound Papas
,
for whom a small GSO contingent performed Chris Apple's arrangement of "The Promised Land". View the impromptu performance below!
Many, many thanks to the Earthbound Papas and MAGFest for this spectacular opportunity. We hope you enjoyed having us as much as we enjoyed attending! See you next year at MAGFest 11!