New Haven Symphony Orchestra: Let's Play! Video Game Music Reimagined

Get ready for the ultimate video game music experience as the New Haven Symphony Orchestra teams up with the genre-blending, high-energy band DiscoCactus! This one-of-a-kind concert brings your favorite gaming soundtracks to life with a live orchestra and a powerhouse VGM band, delivering an electrifying mix of classical, rock, funk, and jazz. Whether you’re a longtime gamer or just love incredible music, this show is for you!

Featuring music from:
Hollow Knight | World of Warcraft
NieR | Minecraft | The Legend of Zelda
Elden Ring | Hades | Undertale

Cosplay encouraged—join the pre-show gathering at 2 PM and show off your best gaming-inspired look.

This isn’t just a concert—it’s a celebration of video game culture, packed with nostalgia, epic soundscapes, and the kind of energy that’ll make you want to hit “Continue.”

Featured Performers

New Haven Symphony Orchestra
Chelsea Tipton, II, NHSO principal pops conductor
DiscoCactus:
Pete Bobinski, guitar
Sam Bobinski, bass
Laura Intravia, voice, flute, ewi
Doug Perry, drums, vibraphone, voice
Chris Pierorazio, drums
Matheus Garcia Souza, violin
Ben Wallace, keyboard

Meet DiscoCactus

DiscoCactus is a collective of composers, performers, and arrangers. They play video game music. Sort of. They use video game soundtracks as a jumping off point for a party, a nonstop display of kinetic musicianship that blends contemporary art music with dozens of pop styles, steeped in the language of the Internet.

Established in 2014, the band’s core is made of six game audio professionals that serve as the primary arrangers and performing mainstays. But, like a frightened cat, Discocactus can grow up to four times its normal size when threatened (or for big projects).

Each of DiscoCactus’s members is a world-class performer in their own right. Their members have studied at some of the world’s top conservatories, written music for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, toured the world with Video Games Live, and more. You’ve heard some of them in games like Celeste, Destiny 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and Final Fantasy XV. You’ve heard SEVERAL of them in Anew: The Distant Light and Mortal Kombat 11.

When it’s time to play as DiscoCactus, these six performers form like Voltron, bringing all of their experience and power down on one glorious purpose: To make you dance! Some members have debuted operas, some have studied Brazilian pop, and some improvise. Together, they combine unique perspectives to make a show that transcends genre and transforms the music  in fresh, exciting ways. You don’t have to know a thing about video game music to enjoy DiscoCactus. You don’t even have to know a thing about music! You just need to strap in for a rollicking, avant-garde nerd carnival.