Interview with Irish Video Game Orchestra’s Robert Martin

Originally posted on June 30, 2023 at Gaming Reinvented

Did you know that Northern Ireland has an orchestra that plays video game music? I did and it’s very cool, so I decided to reach out to them and ask to do an interview.

So today I will be interviewing the Music and Executive Director of the IVGO Robert Martin.about his work on the orchestra and more!

The Interview

First of all, who is Robert Martin?

Well hey! Robert Martin is the Music Director and Executive Director of the Irish Video Game Orchestra. In other realms, he’s a gamer, a former cosplayer, and a working musician and arts manager outside the Washington, D.C. area.

As a way to get to know you more, what is your experience with video games? What was your first video game?

I’ve been gaming my whole life. The first video games I remember having as a kid was Sonic 2 on and MLB Babe Ruth on the Sega Megadrive (or what we in the states call the Sega Genesis)

Are you currently playing anything?

My two loves, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Cities: Skylines. The two biggest time sinks in the world!

And are there any upcoming releases you look forward to playing?

Cities: Skylines 2 was just announced, and I’m already looking for some upgraded hardware to be able to handle it. 

This interview will be focused more on your work in the Irish Video Game Orchestra. But first, what is your history with video game music or music in general? From what I hear, you have quite the musical experience.

Oh geez… can I just attach my CV and call it a day? Lol

I grew up in a musical family that was heavily involved in our local church community. Between the choirs there and an incredible public school system with a great music program, it was sort of predestined by fate that I would have a career in music. In high school, I found that I loved conducting and wanted to follow that pathway, but in almost every case, a music school will require you have advanced training in another instrument before they will accept you into a conducting program, so I went for a bachelors in pipe organ, which I had also picked up in high school. In college, I started my first orchestra, the Houghton Pops Orchestra, which focused mostly on big dramatic stage shows and film music. I was able to cut my teeth in conducting and began my arranging/orchestration career with this group. After a failed round of auditions for masters programs, I was encouraged to go to school for arts management, and with my obsession for Irish trad music, I ended up at Queens University Belfast for that program.

At Queens, I was asked to start a chamber orchestra with the music society, and due to a number of reasons, it was a resounding failure! But that wasn’t a bad thing, because when the spring term rolled around, and I wanted to form the Irish Video Game Orchestra for a performance at Q-Con that summer, there was already a network of musicians ready to go at my fingertips. A lot of my research while at Queens focused on orchestral management and how programming can make or break an ensemble financially. I found that new orchestra audiences were out there, but professional orchestras are not willing to make the move to include them in their concert halls, and thus a ton of unreached listeners are out there (more on this later).

After Queens, I returned to the states and after a couple of years gigging around, I ended up in Los Angeles for a masters program in conducting. There, I was working with some of the best wind bands in the country, and made some great connections and friendships within the video game audio industry. I also started the Studio Orchestra of Long Beach, which was in existence for about 4 years, and in a lot of ways, was an extension of my work with the IVGO. Together, we expanded beyond just video game music and looked at other ways to increase the pops orchestra canon of music as it began to include 21st century media music. 

Nowadays, I’m back on the east coast, outside of Washington, D.C. where I’m holding down a decently large church music gig, and I’m the director of Crescendo Studios, a music school, recording studio, and performance venue in Falls Church, VA which is quickly becoming the hub for video game music in the DMV.

As for video game music, I’ve been mostly involved in the concert and remix side of the industry, working with composers to bring their music to the concert hall and bringing the orchestra to the untouched masses. As I mentioned before, gamers are avid orchestra listeners, but aren’t always aware of it. In a lot of modern games, the score is performed and recorded by a full orchestra, and a good chunk of this music is derivative of classical music. It’s pretty easy then to connect the dots between all these genres, and where orchestras could find their next generation of audiences, but have failed to do so. This is where the IVGO comes in. We’ve begun to reach these folks and have created the next generation of orchestra fans.

Now onto the Irish Video Game Orchestra. How would you describe the IVGO to someone who’s never heard of it?

The IVGO is an orchestra filled with nerds. It’s a haven for weirdos who both enjoy video games and are proficient musicians. The short of it is, we are a group of people with a similar interest, doing something we love.

How did the Orchestra start? Was it a passion project or was there another reason for its creation?

The orchestra originally started as a passion project while I was studying for my masters at Queens University Belfast. I had done a lot of research in orchestra operations and was playing with the ideas of programming new music that would entice new audiences to concerts. The manager in me was enjoying the nerdy research into the very little audience data we had, but the conductor in me wanted to put this into practice and give it a go. I partnered with the then defunct Queens University Chamber Orchestra, a project I was asked to help start, and failed miserably, and the QUB Dragonslayers, hosts of the infamous annual Q-Con, one of the largest anime and gaming conventions in all of Ireland, and we got things rolling! We had a weekend of concerts during Q-Con and was met with an incredible response. We were asked back the next year, and then from there, we began gigging around the country at a number of conventions festivals.

Was there anyone or anything that gave you the inspiration to start the IVGO?

The biggest inspirations for me were the Zelda Reorchestrated Project, Symphony of the Goddesses, and Video Games Live. I like to think that since we’ve started, we’ve been able to create something unique beyond our inspirations.

What are your favourite parts of working on the IVGO? Any favourite pieces or aspects of the group you love?

I love standing in front of this group in rehearsal and crafting something beautiful out of a bunch of dots on the pages in front of us. I also love that this group is incredibly social. We go out of our way to hang out with each other when we can.

The Irish Video Game Orchestra has gotten a lot of attention over the last five years. It’s gotten concerts outside of conventions, charity events and awards. How does it feel knowing that something you started is getting so much positive attention?

I’m both astonished, but not surprised. I may have started this group, but the team of people who run the thing day to day have taken this organisation far and beyond my wildest dreams. I’m just glad people are having as much fun in their seats as we are on stage.

You’re in a unique situation regarding the IVGO. Obviously the orchestra’s home base is in Ireland, meanwhile you’re not always in the country due to other projects. How do you manage to balance it all?

It’s a lot. We have frequent meetings, and Slack is a beautiful tool for communication and organising our team. If it weren’t for the committee that runs the orchestra, we would be completely lost.

What do you think the future will hold for the IVGO?

I see a music festival coming to Belfast really soon, and a number of tours, both to mainland UK and the US. For us, the only way is up!

What advice do you have for someone wanting to create something like this? Or to someone who wants to get into music as a whole?

I always say find some friends and start playing. Everything else will fall into place.

And lastly, is there a place people can find you or the IVGO?

You can find us online on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and at our website ivgorchestra.com where we have our upcoming concerts listed! Otherwise, just search @ivgorchestra.

Thank you again Robert for agreeing to do this interview. It was really cool to interview someone who was more local and who made content I can physically go see, especially since I’ve watched the IVGO’s concerts in person multiple times, so it’s a strange honour that I never thought I’d get to do on GR

Daily 49er (CSULB) Article | October 20, 2020

CSULB Studio Orchestra transforms into a virtual experience

by Rajvinder Singh

(Original article may be found here.)

The vibrations created by the live performance of Long Beach State’s Studio Orchestra is an otherworldly experience.

As Robert Luke Martin, music director and founder, waves his hands in time, the brass section gradually swells. One by one, sections from strings to percussion are cued, collectively taking audiences through a series of twists and turns in the form of sound.

But, performing arts ensembles like Studio Orchestra at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music were forced to find alternative means of creating and performing for audiences after the cancellation of face-to-face instruction. 

“It’s a total bummer,” Martin said. “I love a live show, I really do.”

Studio Orchestra turned to click-track recording, a recording program technique that uses a metronome to help keep musicians on time when playing.

It requires musicians to film themselves playing their instrument and record the sound. Then, the audio clip is used to inform other performers on where and how to fit within the composition. The final compiled recordings are paired with visuals from the scored film, video game or animation. The product is a crisp, clean composition with fluid editing for viewers. 

Students in Studio Orchestra are now more exposed to the technical side of composing music like audio mixing, the process of collecting various sounds and blending them in a way that’s harmonious, a key component for the track’s quality. 

“It’s a huge part of the industry these days for individual musicians to record from a home studio and then send in their tracks,” Martin said. “A lot of soundtracks and film scores are done this way now.”

Studio Orchestra president Katie McNamara, a fourth-year string bass performance and film and electronic arts major, said that the ensemble has experimented with click-tracks in the past, which is why the technique felt natural to her. 

Still, this method has its challenges. 

“It does take, unfortunately, a bit more time for all of us to be able to put one performance out this year than it used to,” McNamara said. “Of course, it’s a bummer not being able to see everybody and react to the music live, but we’re also getting a bunch of incredible skills that will help us later in life.”

While musicians have more time to prepare to record before click-track sessions begin, McNamara said recording from home can be a tricky task due to background noise and space. 

She said that this new creative space leaves room for vulnerability. 

When McNamara played with the ensemble, she said that fitting in sonically could be an issue and mistakes could be disregarded. 

That changed when performers began to record alone. 

“When you’re playing by yourself, you have no ability to hide mistakes,” McNamara said. “It keeps you a lot more honest about your playing, so I think it makes you a little bit of a better player in that sense.”

Martin said that what the orchestra lacks this year are the audience reactions and the energy the musicians feed off. The orchestra strived to break down the fourth wall between the audience and the ensemble. 

“It’s much harder to gauge what the audience is saying,” Martin said.  

In July, the Irish Video Game Orchestra and Studio Orchestra came together virtually to play “Test Drive,” one of the compositions from the animated feature film “How To Train Your Dragon.” 

Members of the Irish Video Game Orchestra and the Studio Orchestra at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music joined their forces to come together for this record...

Spring 2020 graduate and oboist Georgette Patricio was one of the collaborators in the Studio Orchestra.

“I was already familiar with the music since I have performed it with a different ensemble live prior to this specific project,” Patricio said in an email. “But the amount of time it took to learn how to record and trying to capture that perfect take was long and at the same time exhilarating.” 

Martin said that the non-classical compositions, which range from video games to animation, are something his musicians and audiences genuinely appreciate. As music director, Martin selects the scores and soundtracks in addition to bouncing ideas off of the ensemble. 

“We have, especially the audiences, a lot more emotional ties to the music already than say a Bach sonata,” McNamara said. “You might really like it, but not everyone in the audience played that video game and had very deep memories of playing it as a child or as an adult watching that series with your friends. So adding an emotional connection to the music already, I think it definitely brings a lot of fun to the concerts.”

In September, CSULB President Jane Close Conoley confirmed that spring 2021 will continue with virtual instruction.

While the ensemble continues to push for new ways to use technology for orchestral output, Martin hopes to have socially distant recording sessions next semester. 

“That would be the dream idea,” Martin said. 

This article previously contained an incorrect title of an orchestra and its location. A correction was made on Oct. 20 at 3:19 p.m.

Nerdgeist Article | August 30, 2019

Another Fantastic Performance By The Irish Video Game Orchestra

Article and photos by David Cromie

Original article can be found on Nerdgeist

If you have been following our exploits recently you will know that over the past few weeks we have been attending con, after con, after con and it was been pretty fun. With TitanCon happening a scant week ago I was looking back on my highlights and one such highlight struck me as something that frankly needs more attention.

On the Friday night of TitanCon me and the rest of the guests where treated to a performance by the Irish Video Game Orchestra and like all other performances this was a truly enjoyable event.

If you have not heard of The Irish Video Game Orchestra then let me introduce you to these fine folks. Taken directly from their homepage:

“Based out of Belfast, the Irish Video Game Orchestra has stunned audiences throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. Combining the sound of a live orchestra with the sights of video playback and an energising light show, the IVGO presents a show unlike any other.”

When they say show like no other they really mean it.

This is the only Orchestra I know of that encourages audience participation in their show and when I say audience participation I want you all to know that it is not mandatory, plus it is all in good fun.

Robert Luke Martin runs the group with a commanding yet relaxed manner. Where maybe a more traditional orchestra is run like a Navy with Conductor filling in for an Admiral, these talented folk work more like a pirate crew, everyone is there in equal status and everyone is there because they truly love what they do. Love is the key to their success, they love their music, they love their work and it shines through in the meticulous dedication to their incredible craft.

With their latest show they really blew us all away giving us a performance including songs from Skyrim, Chrono Trigger, Undertale, Zelda: Orcharina Of Time, Tetris, Game Of Thrones, A Melody Of Studio Ghibli Songs and of course the Pokemon Theme. Of course there where many more but it would be redundantlisting them, because frankly you need to see the Irish Video Game Orchestra perform. My only disappointment is that they where unable to perform a piece from Final Fantasy VI – but there is always next time.

If you are at Q-Con this weekend be sure to check them out, I guarantee you will enjoy every minute of the evening. 

Daily 49er Article | April 23rd, 2019

The original article can be found here.

Chloë Agnew’s Performance Brings Celtic Charm to Studio Orchestra

The Irish singer and the LBSU conductor backing her up on how they translated Celtic Woman and solo staples for a 25-piece student orchestra.

Article by Mark Berman

Going into Saturday night’s concert featuring Irish singer and former Celtic Woman member Chloë Agnew, Long Beach State Studio Orchestra music director/conductor and graduate student Robert Luke Martin had some nerves.

“I’m sitting there thinking, ‘she’s sung with some of the best orchestras in the world,’” he said. “I’ve seen her sing with the Buffalo Philharmonic, then go to the Baltimore Symphony. I hope we can … reach that standard.”

When it comes to Agnew, Martin had about a decade of fandom and personal stakes to work through. In his freshman year of college, he found himself on all female Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman’s mailing list, where they promoted a new live DVD.

“I saw the first piece and I’m like, ‘Holy shit,’” he said. “Because it’s Irish music, but it’s orchestrated.”

This pushed Martin head-first into the world of traditional Irish music, which led to a move to Belfast and his founding of the Irish Video Game Orchestra. Now about to complete his second master’s degree in instrumental conducting at LBSU, this moment seems to have come full-circle for him.

“I’m trying not to get super schmaltzy about this,” he said. “[But] Chloë Agnew… probably had a major impact on my career direction.”

Meanwhile, Agnew had her own reasons why this particular show mattered so much to her. She spent a decade performing with Celtic Woman covering those traditional tunes and soundtrack hits. In her time since leaving the group to go solo in 2013, songwriting became a much higher priority, as shown on her 2018 EP “The Thing About You.”

A turn toward 2010s pop in production and instrumentation, the EP gave Martin the task of translating a handful of Agnew’s compositions for a 25-piece orchestra at LBSU. Twenty years into her career, she said she considers this new territory.

“I think he’s done wonderful arrangements,” Agnew said. “It’s a really clever fusion.”

Her meeting the Studio Orchestra, comprised mostly of music majors, gave the show a whole new dynamic as well.

“They’re obviously very enthusiastic. They’re all avid music players and listeners and music lovers,” she said. “It’s always really, really refreshing to come into a space like that, where a lot of this music is new to them, so there’s that excitement in the room.”

That excitement came through clearly on stage. For a concert at a college music department, the feeling at the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall never came off as overly serious, or alienating to those not well-versed in orchestral music. Between songs, Agnew told charming stories about adjusting to life in Los Angeles and gave the audience instructions on how to sing along with her original English-Gaelic hybrid “The Gathering.”

Adding onto the accepting atmosphere, Agnew and Martin stuck to the last couple decades for covers. Highlights included the massive swells of “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt, “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” the latter complete with Martin holding down the penny whistle while orchestra member Summer Wilson conducted. The energetic high point of the night came with a theatrical rendition of the aptly chosen 1995 Garth Brooks cut “Ireland.”

At one point, after the title track to “The Thing About You,” Agnew found herself wiping away tears.

“Oh my heart, I didn’t expect to get so emotional,” she said from the stage.

The sentimental nature of the performance also came through when she gave her thank you’s at the end.

“There’s a very few generous who are people of their word,” she said of Martin, before explaining how he first proposed the idea of this performance over a year ago.

Reflecting on this show, as the first of its kind for the relatively new Studio Orchestra, Martin plans to make these performances a regular event, even after he graduates this spring.

“This is something that the students will put on their CV’s,” he said. “Like on the resumes, ‘I played with Chloe Agnew from Celtic Woman for one of her shows.’ For someone this age, that’s a huge deal.”

Following the show, the crowd was left with a similarly hopeful feeling for where this could lead.

“Obviously the school puts on good shows and has high-quality musicians all the way around,” said audience member Stephen McNamara. “So, they can do that. They can back established artists and sound good.”

Belfast's Irish Video Game Orchestra on performing at the Out to Lunch festival | January 4, 2018

The original article appeared on the Irish News website on January 4, 2018 and can be found here

The Irish Video Game Orchestra is one of only two orchestras in Europe dedicated to performing the music from our console favourites. Ahead of their gig at Belfast's Out to Lunch festival, Jenny Lee finds out more about this interesting ensemble from musical director Robert Martin

LOOKING for something different to expand your cultural repertoire this year? Look no further than this year's Out to Lunch Festival at Belfast's Cathedral Quarter – and in particular, the sound of The Irish Video Game Orchestra (IVGO).

Brought together by their mutual love of video games and their music, this semi-professional outfit are dedicated to bringing new audiences to orchestral music while performing the scores from famous games like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros and Final Fantasy.

What is your background Robert and can you tell me when and how the Irish Video Game Orchestra came to be?

I'm originally from a small suburb of Washington DC and grew up surrounded by music. I completed an undergraduate degree in pipe organ, and then came to Belfast, fuelled by the need for adventure, to complete an MA in Arts Management at Queen's University Belfast (QUB).

It was during my time at QUB that I had the idea of doing a video game concert during Q-Con (a local convention at QUB put on by the gaming and anime society).

After a bit of convincing, they were completely on board, and we had our first concert in June of 2015. The reception was so great, the orchestra decided to continue on, and that brings us to today.

Are there many video game orchestras across the world?

There are quite a few in the United States, most notably the Gamer Symphony Orchestra at University of Maryland, and the Game Music Ensemble at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Some have popped up in Japan and eastern Asia. In Europe there are two including ourselves, the other being in Ukraine.

With Classic FM now having their own weekly video game music programme, is the genre becoming more popular?

Absolutely. With the nature of soundtracks and scores changing and becoming more complex, video game music is now showing up in all genres of music.

Is it mainly film composers who create the music for video games, or does it tend to be more experimental, new artists creating them?

You'll see a few film composers cross over, but most composers for video games tend to work mainly in the video game industry exclusively.

Especially now, with the advances of technology from the original Super Mario titles, live recordings of orchestras and bands are able to be used rather than a midi sequence on a sound card that was programmed in.

How many members are in your orchestra? Are they also involved in other ensembles?

Currently, we have about 35 members in the orchestra. Some are involved with other orchestras such as the Ballymena Chamber Orchestra, Queen's University Symphony Orchestra, Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, the Irish Film and Pops Orchestra, as well as a handful of others.

What can we expect at your Out 2 Lunch gig in Belfast?

Our Out 2 Lunch gig will be one of our more intimate concerts, featuring our principle string players and brass – mainly due to space limitations.

Are your audiences normally game fans?

Our audience is a healthy mix of gamers and orchestra fans. What's brilliant about what we do is that many gamers have never been to a live orchestra performance, so we're literally creating a new audience for the symphony.

For orchestra fans, they will find bits of Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich throughout these arrangements, as a lot of current orchestral video game scores are derivative of classical music.

Are you all avid gamers yourselves and do you combine practice with video game competitions?

How have we not had a Mario Kart Tournament yet? Most of us are gamers. Some come to play just for the fun of it, and then fall in love with the music. We have a few social nights, but for some reason, we don't really game together... yet.

What gigs have you planned for 2018?

We're hoping to do an Ireland tour in the spring and we'll be back in Belfast over the summer. In the autumn, I'm hoping we will tour in Britain.

What are your ambitions for The Irish Video Game Orchestra?

In either 2018 or 2019, we'll make the jump to the studio and in the future I'd like to see the IVGO become an option for composers who need to record an orchestra for games and film.

What is your favourite video game to play and to listen to?

The Legend of Zelda for both. It's probably my favourite music due to the nostalgia of playing Ocarina of Time as a kid. But hearing those tunes in a fully orchestrated score from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sends shivers down my spine.

What games are you looking forward to being released in 2018?

Certain members of the orchestra would say the Final Fantasy VII remake, but for myself, I would say either Ori and the Will of the Wisps or Kingdom Hearts 3.

Both have incredible artwork, wonderful game play, and the music is stunning.