The Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra (WMGSO) is a volunteer community ensemble that celebrates, transforms, and showcases video game music by producing accessible concerts in the D.C. area and online.
Founded in 2012, the ensemble has grown to more than 150 members between the orchestra and choir. WMGSO stages full ensemble concerts in the fall and spring, which you can catch in person or via the Twitch stream. Additional chamber performances occur at fundraisers, conventions, and community outreach events throughout the year.
WMGSO has professionally recorded and released two albums of orchestral, choral, and chamber video game music—WMGSO: The Album, and WMGSO: The Album DLC. Both albums are available for purchase online.
WMGSO members pose for a group photo taken in December 2013 at Living Faith Lutheran Church, where the group rehearsed.
In the summer of 2012, several alumni of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), the world's first permanent collegiate orchestra devoted exclusively to performing video game music, decided to continue their mission outside of the university setting.
The group's first rehearsal in August 2013 consisted of approximately 15 instrumentalists and singers. Living Faith Lutheran Church, which graciously hosted WMGSO's first year of rehearsals, also hosted the orchestra’s first public performance in April 2014. Shortly after the second concert in June 2014, the IRS accepted WMGSO’s application to become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
History
Notable Performances
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2015: Performed at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in front of a capacity crowd and at the first-ever Super Smash Con.
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2018: Performed on the mainstage at MAGFest in front of 2,000 attendees.
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2019: Collaborated with composer Tony Manfredonia on the North America debut of music from the video game Kharon’s Crypt.
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2024: Performed with Grammy award-winning composer Christopher Tin in a sing-in at the Kennedy Center, where audience participants learned "Baba Yetu," "Sogno di Volare," and the new finale Tin had composed for the opera Turandot.
In January 2018, WMGSO performed at MAGFest in front of an audience of 2,000.
WMGSO has received grants from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and the Maryland State Arts Council. This support has helped WMGSO afford rehearsal and performance space to bring video game music to larger audiences at an affordable price.
Grants
