An unusual combination of performers will take to the stage at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) on Friday for the Doha edition of popular touring production Video Gaming Live.

The global show – which is now in its 14th year – combines professional classical musicians and singers with composers and performers from the gaming music world, alongside synchronized video clips and special lighting.

The Doha show, which will be held at the QNCC at 8pm tomorrow (March 4) will be hosted by gaming industry composer and musician Tommy Tallarico, who has worked on more than 250 games including Spider-Man, RoboCop versus The Terminator and Pac-Man World.

Tallarico will also play guitar at the concert, alongside the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and a choir conducted by German soprano Felicitas Fuchs.

Irish composer Eimear Noone, who has worked on music for World of Warcraft, Diablo, Metal Gear Solid, Starcraft 2 and Zelda will conduct the performance.

‘One-of-a-kind’

Described as “an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience,” the show promises to incorporate music from “the greatest video games of all time.”

Tommy Tallerico founded Video Gaming Live in 2002. He told Doha News that the secret of the event’s success was its mixture of great music and special effects:

“It’s all the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra combined with the energy and excitement of a rock concert, mixed together with the interactivity, cutting edge visuals, technology and fun that video games provide,” he said.

Organizers promise that the show will be just as enjoyable for non-gamers as for fans.

Tallerico told us that the majority of correspondence they receive after shows is from non-gamers, and added that the show also introduced lots of young people to symphonic music:

“We’ll get letters from parents after the show telling us that they took their eight-year-old daughter to the show and she wants to start taking violin lessons so she can learn and play the music in our show” he said. “I believe pop culture can have very positive influences on other (and more classic) forms of art.”

Tickets priced between QR100 to QR500 are still available for the show from the QPO website.

All ticket-holders are invited to a “meet and greet” with the performers after the show, and for an extra QR500, fans can buy a “backstage experience” that includes a tour led by Tallarico.

Here’s what you can expect to see and hear at the performance:

Do you plan to go? Thoughts?