Top Score

The soundtrack for the game 'Awesomenauts' sounds like an alien radio station. The music was created by a group of composers who call themselves SonicPicnic.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/08/20/top-score-sonicpicnic-and-awesomenauts

Composer Ryan Ike got his first big break in video-game composition by answering an open call for composers on Twitter for a game called 'Gunpoint'. He got the job -- and a BAFTA nomination. Hear...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/08/13/composer-ryan-ike-got-his-career-started-at-gunpoint

Millions of people around the world play the 'casual' game Candy Crush Soda Saga, but composer Johan Holmstrom took the music very seriously, even recruiting the London Symphony Orchestra for the...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/08/06/serious-music-for-a-casual-game

Ryan Thompson is a PhD candidate in musicology at the University of Minnesota, with a special interest in ludomusicology. What is that, you ask? Ludomusicology is a growing field in which musicol...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/30/a-musicologist-s-look-at-final-fantasy-vi

The new game 'Spartan Strike' exists in an audio-dominant world. To make sure he could still capture a player's attention, composer Tom Salta decided to record quieter, more subtle cues. He also ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/23/tom-salta-s-bold-choice-for-subtle-music

Top Score says "thank you" to production assistant Pierce Huxtable for one year of great work. Pierce's position was funded by a (non-renewable) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, an...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/22/thank-you-pierce-on-top-score

Michael Schiciano joins Emily Reese on this week's Top Score to talk about old-school and modern approaches to composing. Thanks to the burgeoning mobile market, many composers use old-school tec...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/16/what-s-old-school-is-new-again-michael-schiciano

The orchestral-rock video game cover band Do a Barrel Roll stopped by Classical MPR to record a set and to chat with Emily Reese, host of Top Score. 'They played a set and stole my heart -- I've ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/15/do-a-barrel-roll-on-top-score

Completely self taught, Sam Dillard not only composes music, but he also performs and records his work. Recently hired by Kinect for its new Harry Potter trailer, Dillard joins Emily Reese on thi...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/09/sam-dillard-is-a-oneman-musicmaking-machine

The enduring success of composer Chris Huelsbeck's early works has created a fan following in his native Germany and across the world. His work inspired a 2008 concert series, and more recently, ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/07/02/chris-huelsbeck-s-career-leaps-to-next-stage

Chicago-based composer John Robert Matz isn't strictly a video-game music creator. He also writes for concert band. On this week's Top Score, Matz talks about these different works and their dist...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/06/25/john-robert-matz-composes-for-concert-band-and-video-games

The director of music recording and scoring at Skywalker Sound, Leslie Ann Jones oversees all sound production in the facilities massive scoring stage. Jones has worked on films, television and v...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/06/18/leslie-ann-jones-is-a-jedi-of-sound-engineers

What started out as a one-gig quartet for Chad Schwartz's senior recital has grown into a touring, viable music group. All four members of Triforce Quartet are classically trained musicians and a...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/06/11/triforce-quartet-from-one-recital-to-working-ensemble

From a small studio in Finland, the men of Scoring Helsinki have created a big sound for the dungeon-crawling game, 'The Legend of Grimrock II'. Hear all about it on this week's episode of Top Sc...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/06/04/scoring-helsinki-and-the-legend-of-grimrock-ii

On this week's Top Score, Emily Reese talks with composer Paul Ruskay, who created the soundtrack for 'Homeworld Remastered'. He explains how he brought the soundtrack back to life from its origi...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/05/28/top-score-composer-paul-ruskay

On a recent trip to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Emily stopped by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to learn more about the new Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/05/21/san-francisco-conservatory-of-music-stretches-bounds

Composer Daniel Sadowski possesses that rare ability to see music in color, so when he was asked to compose music for the vivid game 'Stormthrone', it was a dream come true. Daniel Sadowski is Em...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/05/14/composing-music-in-full-color

Seven-piece jazz ensemble missingNo arrange video game music into complex, catchy jazz and funk-infused pieces. They are Emily Reese's guests on this week's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/05/07/missingno-s-jazzy-videogame-arrangements

Do men and women compose differently? Is there such thing as 'masculine' or 'feminine' music? Is defining music that way inherently sexist? This week's episode of Top Score asks some tough questi...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/04/30/penka-kouneva-and-a-composers-authentic-voice

Composing duo Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White (aka Finishing Move) met with Top Score host Emily Reese to discuss the game Massive Chalice and the challenges it posed to them. They also share po...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/04/23/top-score-brutal-honesty-brings-success-on-massive-chalice

After four years of soundtrack development, the score for the game 'Ori and the Blind Forest' rested on one composer's ability to unite new musicians and seasoned score professionals.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/04/16/gareth-coker-ori-blind-forest-top-score

Composer, audio engineer and voice actor Alexander Brandon joins Emily Reese on this week's Top Score to talk about creating soundtracks that support the various atmospheres of video games.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/04/09/creating-powerful-and-engaging-game-soundtracks

Composer Marios Aristopoulos has scored the video game, 'Apotheon', a game set in ancient Greece that combines Grecian art styles and 2D platform gameplay. Marios spoke to Emily Reese on this wee...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/04/02/heard-melodies-are-sweet-for-a-grecian-game

In creating the soundtrack for 'Assassin's Creed Unity: Dead Kings', composer Cris Velasco used traditional sounds, including arpeggios, counterpoint and harpsichord to create music to fit the ga...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/03/26/top-score-cris-velasco-goes-for-baroque

The California-based composer and violinist has spent significant time living and working in Alaska. He still draws inspiration from the beauty and solitude of the North. Jeff is Emily Reese's gu...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/03/19/jeff-ball-from-commercial-fisherman-to-composer

Composer Billy Martin is known for writing soundtracks with comedic and with jazz elements. This week on Top Score, Emily Reese talks to Martin about his work, and we hear samples of two very dif...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/03/12/top-score-composer-billy-martin

Composer Peter McConnell felt pressure to write great music for the game 'Hearthstone', which was projected to be a big seller. McConnell is Emily Reese's guest on this week's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/03/05/top-score-peter-mcconnell-and-the-music-for-hearthstone

To compose the music for 'The Order: 1886', Jason Graves removed instruments that don't carry a heavy sound. Violins and high woodwinds were thrown out, and violas and cellos doubled up. Learn mo...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/02/26/top-score-jason-graves-and-the-order-1886

A highly versatile composer, Winifred Phillips has created music for the ever-adorable 'LittleBigPlanet 3' and for the brutal 'Assassin's Creed III: Liberation'. She recently pulled off a five-mi...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/02/19/top-score-composer-winifred-phillips

To create a reactive soundtrack for the five simultaneous players of 'Evolve', composer Jason Graves created hundreds of short pieces of music. And he used some creative instrumentation to get th...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/02/12/top-score-jason-graves-and-the-evolve-soundtrack

When composer Peter McConnell finished scoring the video game 'Grim Fandango' 1998, he asked people living in his neighborhood to be the instrumentalists. For this year's 'Grim Fandango' re-relea...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/02/05/top-score-composer-peter-mcconnell-grim-fandango

Written by Finnish electronic dance music (EDM) composer Jukio 'Kozilek' Kallio, the thumping score to the new game 'Luftrausers' contains both club and cinematic influences.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/01/29/top-score-jukio-kozilek-kallio-and-luftrausers

For composer Ben Prunty, the glamour of scoring video games did not come without effort. While working alternately as a janitor, Google diagnostician and volunteer coordinator, he received a call...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/01/22/top-score-composer-ben-prunty-and-faster-than-light

For the latest 'Borderlands' release, the game's developers wanted a new sound. Their instruction to composer Jesper Kyd was simple: Bring back the '80s. Kyd is Emily Reese's guest on this week's...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/01/15/top-score-jesper-kyd-and-borderlands-the-presequel

Composer Jason Graves talks about his score for 'Tomb Raider' and about writing memorable music for video games. Hear it on this week's episode of Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/01/08/top-score-composer-jason-graves

It's possible to turn on your TV and find a show scored by Silas. The commercial break could then include his work. If you want a movie, there are more than 14 that include his music. Video games...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2015/01/01/top-score-composer-silas-hite

Top Score, which is part of the Infinite Guest podcast network, is counting down the best game soundtracks of 2014. A score's creativity, ingenuity, execution, and implementation were all taken i...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/12/23/top-scores-top-five-game-soundtracks-of-2014

Indie game developers White Paper Games took on a seemingly impossible project for an untested, six-member team. They wanted to create a free-roaming, first-person puzzle game set in the surreal,...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/12/18/top-score-white-paper-games

Trevor Morris received his first commission at 13 years old, when he wrote a song for the Pope. Now, Morris's commissions are for the 'Dragon Age' video games. Morris is Emily Reese's guest on th...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/12/11/top-score-composer-trevor-morris

Composers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith form a composing duo called The Flight. They've been working together on music for more than 20 years, including video games. Henson and Smith speak to Emily...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/12/04/top-score-the-flight-composing-duo

Inon Zur remembers his very first viewing of Disney's Fantasia as a small child. Now he's come full-circle, working on the soundtrack to Disney's new video game, 'Fantasia: Music Evolved'.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/11/26/top-score-inon-zur-and-fantasia-music-evolved

Composer Garry Schyman always seems to be pushing the bounds of video game music. With help from the Seattle Symphony and the amazing acoustics of the Bastyr chapel, Schyman takes some creative l...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/11/20/top-score-garry-schyman-pushes-boundaries

To call Neal Acree's fan base "passionate" would be a gross understatement. As a contributing composer for World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo III, Video Games Live, and the Stargate series, som...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/11/13/top-score-composer-neal-acree

This episode features a nerd-filled interview and some truly lovely live-recorded video game music. From Marble Madness to early Metroid to a rocking series of solos in Dr. Mario, we hope you enj...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/11/06/top-score-nes

Karl and Will Brueggemann, known as the Super Marcato Brothers, live and breathe retro video games. They compose original and game-inspired music, often playing a number of instruments in the tra...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/10/30/top-score-super-marcato-brothers

Hard-working composer Andrew Aversa shares his various experiences writing music for video games, and he also invites aspiring composers to get in touch with him for feedback and advice. Listen t...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/10/23/top-score-composer-andrew-aversa

A fascinating man with a deeply genuine love of music, Oleksa Lozowchuk is best known in the video-game world for scoring the humorous and addicting 'Dead Rising 3'. This week on Top Score, he sp...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/10/15/top-score-oleska-lozowchuk-s-bright-sadness

Back in 2012, video game media outlets were ablaze with news about FEZ . This press helped launch the career of the game's composer, a then-relatively unknown Rich 'Disasterpeace' Vreeland.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/10/08/top-score-a-composer-known-as-disasterpeace

Several years ago, a five-minute conversation took Lisbeth Scott from being a part-time singer and musician in a dance studio to performing in a soundtrack for Hans Zimmer, a titan of the industr...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/10/02/top-score-singer-lisbeth-scott-s-rising-note

Laura Intravia's life is something out of a video game music lover's dream. Carving her path by transcribing scores and performing in costume, Intravia is making an indelible impression on the vi...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/09/23/laura-intravia-top-score

This week on Top Score, Emily Reese interviews composer John Broomhall about the music he created for the game 'Transport Tycoon'.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/09/18/top-score-john-broomhall-s-music-for-transport-tycoon

Cellist Tina Guo is best known for shredding on her electric cello. But the lonely, meditative sonority of a video game soundtrack shows the depth of her playable emotion. Cellist Tina Guo discus...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/09/11/cellist-tina-guo-on-top-score

Nearly 75 years after the film debuted, Disney is bringing 'Fantasia' back in a new game called 'Fantasia: Music Evolved'. Composer Inon Zur wrote original music for the game, and oversaw the re-...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/09/04/inon-zur-scores-disney-fantasia-music-evolved-top-score

This weekend, Emily Reese of Top Score hosts two panels at the PAX Prime video game convention in Seattle.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/08/28/top-score-goes-to-pax-prime

Hear Darren Korb (and his new son, Milo) discuss Darren's new soundtrack to the game 'Transistor' on Classical MPR's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/08/27/darren-korb-transistor-on-top-score

In 1991, a group of five programmers gathered around a computer. They wanted to create a new kind of game that would tell a new kind of story, pushing technology to its limits. This week, hear th...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/07/31/robyn-miller-myst-top-score

Imagine yourself in a stadium filled with 70,000 fans. That's how many video game fans travel to Seattle during Labor Day weekend for the PAX Prime video game convention. I'll be there hosting a ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/08/21/pax-prime-2014-preview-on-top-score

Composer Cris Velasco recently finished music for 'Company of Heroes 3: Western Front Armies'. It marks the third time he's scored a World War II-themed game. This project focuses on the Western ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/08/14/cris-velasco-western-front-armies-on-top-score

Summer camp. The words bring back memories of warm days, making friends ... and alien invasions? That's the case for students of Minneapolis's Composing For Video Games camp. Find out more about ...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/08/07/composing-for-video-games-summer-camp

South Korean composer Goomin Nam explores the emotions of longing and tranquility in his new soundtrack for the game "Monarch: Heroes of a New Age"

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/07/24/goomin-nam-monarch-heroes-of-a-new-age-top-score

Christopher Tin just finished his second song cycle, 'The Drop That Contained the Sea'. He stopped by Top Score to discuss it.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/05/15/christopher-tin-the-drop-that-contained-the-sea-on-top-score

When Jayson Napolitano wrote an article about game music to fall asleep to, he had no idea of the volume of response he'd receive. As a result, he created the album, "Game Music Lullabies".

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/07/10/game-music-lullabies-on-top-score

A new iPad app from the Philharmonia Orchestra aims to demystify how an orchestra works.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/07/03/the-orchestra-on-top-score

Composer Cris Velasco wrote an unusually introspective score for the World War II-themed game, 'Enemy Front'. He talks about it with Emily Reese on this week's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/06/26/cris-velasco-enemy-front-on-top-score

What does it sound like to be a ghost? Composer Jason Graves answers that question in his music for the new game, "Murdered: Soul Suspect".

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/06/12/jason-graves-murdered-soul-suspect-on-top-score

Composer Jeff Broadbent chose a colorful palette of instruments to reflect the vibrant world in which 'Dawngate' is set.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/06/05/jeff-broadbent-and-dawngate-on-top-score

Composer Yoav Goren writes music for trailers for films, video games and television. Learn about the process on Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/05/29/trailer-music-on-top-score

Composer Olivier Derivière blended his own original music with traditional Haitian music for the score to Assassin's Creed IV: Freedom Cry.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/11/20/olivier-deriviere-assassins-creed-freedom-cry-top-score

Composer Curtis Schweitzer wrote unusually long pieces of music for his soundtrack to the game Starbound. He talks to Emily Reese on this week's episode of Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/05/08/curtis-schweitzer-and-starbound-on-top-score

Composer Mike Raznick used a mix of live performers for the steampunk game, 'Spate'.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/05/01/mike-raznick-and-spate-on-top-score

Emily Reese, host of Top Score, recently spent a weekend in Boston with 70,000 video game enthusiasts at the PAX East Conference. In this week's episode of Top Score, Emily Reese shares some of h...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/04/24/pax-east-2014-recap

Composer Joel Corelitz just received a BAFTA nomination for his score to The Unfinished Swan . Baroque-inspired sounds accompany the artful tale. Hear our conversation on Top Score from Classical...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/12/the-unfinished-swan-composer-joel-corelitz-on-top-score

As you sail around the Caribbean on your ship in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, your crew sings sea shanties to pass the time.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/01/16/the-sea-shanties-of-assassins-creed-black-flag-on-top-score

Writer Ricky O'Bannon talks about counterpoint in the context of video game music.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/03/27/comparing-baroque-music-with-video-game-music-on-top-score

Composer Luc St. Pierre wrote a dark and ambient score for "Thief", focusing on the shady personality of the protagonist, Garrett. Emily Reese talks to Luc St. Pierre on this week's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/03/20/luc-st-pierre-scores-thief-top-score

Video Games Live just released its third studio album. Co-creator of VGL, Tommy Tallarico, talks about the music.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/03/13/video-games-live-level-3-on-top-score

Christophe Heral and Billy Martin collaborated on their second Rayman game: Rayman Legends.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/03/05/chirstophe-heral-billy-martin-rayman-legends-top-score

Composer Dale North was inspired by games from the late '80s and early '90s for his score to Dragon Fantasy Book II.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/02/27/dale-north-dragon-fantasy-book-ii-top-score

Finnish composer Ari Pulkkinen was already an established composer in the gaming industry when he wrote the theme for Angry Birds.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/02/20/ari-pulkkinen-angry-birds-on-top-score

Peter McConnell teamed up with Tim Schafer and Double Fine Studios for a gem of a score for "Broken Age". McConnell talks to Emily Reese on this week's Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/02/13/peter-mcconnell-broken-age-on-top-score

Video game composer Dren McDonald had a great idea to raise money for an after-school music program in California. McDonald is Emily Reese's guest on this week's episode of Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/02/06/dren-mcdonald-and-the-string-arcade-on-top-score

Composers Kenny Young and Brian D'Oliveira collaborated on music for the game 'Tearaway'. They are Emily Reese's guests on this week's episode of Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/01/30/tearaway-on-top-score

When Brian Min wrote music for 'The Cave,' he never meant for that music to stay in the game. We're glad it did.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/01/23/brian-min-the-cave-top-score

There were so many great soundtracks for games in 2013, our Top 5 list was just the tip of the iceberg.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2014/01/08/more-great-video-game-soundtracks-from-2013

Of all the great music to emerge from video games in 2013, one soundtrack comes out on top.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/12/31/top-score-best-video-game-soundtracks-of-2013-number-1-garry-schyman

Jessica Curry's score for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs earns the number 2 spot on Top Score's Countdown to the Best Video Game Soundtracks of 2013.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/12/26/top-score-best-video-game-soundtracks-of-2013-number-2-jessica-curry

2013 had several outstanding orchestral scores for video games. Over the next four weeks, you'll hear from five of them, starting with number 5.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/12/12/top-score-best-scores-of-2013-5-4

It's a game about love, and flowers, and flying, and nature... and there's great music too. Composer Vincent Diamante talks about "Flower" on Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/07/25/flower-and-vincent-diamante-on-top-score

This introduction to the music of Guild Wars 2 , written by Jeremy Soule, also illustrates how you can learn about other composers — Edvard Grieg, for instance — from video games.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/11/14/jeremy-soule-and-guild-wars-2-on-top-score

The art in To the Moon is deceptively simple. With blocky graphics, it's a lot like an Impressionist painting up close. But as you sit back, the images come alive. Kan Gao's atmosphere score is m...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/11/07/kan-gao-and-to-the-moon-on-top-score

The Castlevania series of games has great music, including the newest in the series, "Lords of Shadow" by Oscar Araujo.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/31/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-on-top-score

The newest Game Music Bundle features 14 soundtracks from scary games, the perfect music for your Halloween party!

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/23/halloween-game-music-bundle-on-top-score

The Videri String Quartet is a typical string quartet -- with a twist. Although each member of the ensemble is classically trained, the group chooses to exclusively play video game music.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/17/the-videri-string-quartet-on-top-score

Composer Lorne Balfe wrote music for the game Beyond: Two Souls , which just came out on Tuesday. Balfe's music helps to tell the story of the game, centered on a character named Jodie. And the m...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/09/lorne-balfe-and-beyond-two-souls-on-top-score

In Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep , composer Raison Varner had the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at one of the most beloved genres of all media — the fantasy genre.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/03/raison-varner-and-borderlands-2-tiny-tinas-assault-on-dragons-keep-on-top-score

Gustavo Santaolalla won back-to-back Oscars in 2006 and 2007, for Brokeback Mountain and Babel, respectively. And those sparse film scores are indicative of Gustavo's use of space in music — sil...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/07/03/gustavo-santaolalla-the-last-of-us-on-top-score

Composer Jack Wall wrote two quite different soundtracks for Lost Planet 3 — one takes the player through the battles and cinematics of Lost Planet, and one takes the main character back to Plan...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/09/12/jack-wall-and-lost-planet-3-on-top-score

The Washington Metro Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a brand new all-volunteer ensemble devoted entirely to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/09/05/rob-garner-and-the-washington-metropolitan-gamer-symphony-orchestra-on-top-score

Composer James Hannigan wrote music for Dead Space 3 ; an ominous score for a terrifying game.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/08/29/james-hannigan-and-dead-space-3-on-top-score

British composer James Hannigan has scored just about every type of game imaginable, from the final four 'Harry Potter' games to terrifying 'Dead Space 3'. We talked about his newest project, a b...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/08/22/james-hannigan-and-runescape-3-on-top-score

Even though it's been out for a month, the game 'DotA 2' is still a work in progress. Composer Tim Larkin started writing music for the game more than two years ago -- and he's not done yet.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/08/15/tim-larkin-and-dota-2-on-top-score

There are literally dozens of Star Trek games, spun off from the television series that started in 1966, yet no one's ever released a soundtrack from those games... until now.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/08/08/top-score-star-trek-dominik-hauser

If you needed to write music that sounded Russian, where would you start? Composer Cris Velasco talks Company of Heroes 2 on Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/07/29/cris-velasco-company-of-heroes-2-top-score

Halo is back, with a new platform and a new composer dedicated to preserving the iconic sound of the series, Tom Salta.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/07/11/tom-salta-halo-spartan-assault-top-score

The difficult decisions players must make in Heavy Rain are underscored by a gorgeous soundtrack, written by French-Canadian film composer Normand Corbeil.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/07/03/normand-corbeil-heavy-rain-top-score

Composer Grant Kirkhope lets his British roots shine in his score for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/12/grant-kirkhope-kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-top-score

How do I feel about composer Garry Schyman's score to the new BioShock Infinite? Put it on a stage and let me hear it live, over and over... and over... and over...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/06/garry-schyman-bioshock-infinite-top-score

Inspired by music from the era of silent film, Austin Wintory's score for Monaco: What's Yours is Mine features improvisational ragtime piano.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/31/austin-wintory-and-monaco-whats-yours-is-mine-on-top-score

Paris may be best well-known as the City of Lights, but French composer Olivier Deriviere turns it into a city of memories in the new game Remember Me .

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/24/olivier-deriviere-remember-me-on-top-score

With so many World War II games on the market, it can be difficult to come up with a unique sound for the score. Lennie Moore talks about his music for Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm on Top Score.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/10/lennie-moore-and-red-orchestra-2-rising-storm-on-top-score

How do I feel about composer Garry Schyman's score to the new BioShock Infinite? Put it on a stage and let me hear it live, over and over... and over... and over...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/23/garry-schymans-bioshock-infinite-on-top-score

Composer Jason Graves explains the musical themes he created for "Tomb Raider" on the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/19/deconstructing-tomb-raider-with-composer-jason-graves-top-score

What happens when a composer writes a great score for a not-so-great game? Kevin Riepl talks about his music for Aliens: Colonial Marines.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/12/kevin-riepl-and-aliens-colonial-marines-on-top-score

Kickstarter is a website allowing consumers to fund projects, including movies, games, conferences and everything else in between. "Skyrim" composer Jeremy Soule decided to use it to fund writing...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/30/jeremy-soule-uses-kickstarter-to-fund-his-first-symphony

Composer Jim Dooley talks about working on both games in the Infamous series on Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/29/jim-dooley-and-infamous-on-top-score

Peter McConnell and Emily Reese talk Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time on the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. Enter for your chance to win a copy of the PlayStation 3 game below!

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/14/peter-mcconnell-and-sly-cooper-thieves-in-time-on-top-score

Composer Penka Kouneva took two months between projects to write her own music, culminating in a CD called A Warrior's Odyssey . Emily Reese spoke with Penka about her music, and coming to the U....

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/26/penka-kouneva-warriors-odyssey-on-top-score

Steampunk meets Charles Dickens's London in the game Dishonored, scored by composer Daniel Licht.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/07/daniel-licht-and-dishonored-on-top-score

Composer Inon Zur and the new music for Rift: Storm Legion on the latest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/31/inon-zur-rift-top-score

Papo & Yo turned out to be one of the most emotional experiences I've had as a gamer. While I feel as though I say that more and more, it's a trend I wholeheartedly embrace.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/21/papo-and-yo-top-score-brian-doliveira

Jesper Kyd explains how he scored the afterlife, light and darkness for Darksiders II on Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/14/jesper-kyd-darksiders-ii-top-score

Significant musical moments in Call of Duty: Black Ops II are explained by the soundtrack's composer, Jack Wall, on the newest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/06/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-jack-wall-top-score

Matt Uelmen shares his music for Torchlight II on Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/30/matt-uelmen-top-score-diablo-torchlight

Christopher Lennertz is a busy guy, working on multiple television projects like Supernatural and Revolution, in addition to writing music for games like Starhawk and Mass Effect 3. Hear the conv...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/19/christopher-lennertz-top-score-mass-effect-starhawk

David Lloyd launched OCReMix.org in 1999 to create a site for fans to share their interpretations of game music. David and submissions judge Larry Oji joined Top Score for a conversation about fa...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/15/ocremix-top-score-larry-oji-david-lloyd

On the new episode of Top Score, Lorne Balfe talks about his music for the new "Skylanders" game, called "Skylanders: Giants."

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/26/lorne-balfe-skylanders-giants-top-score

Composer Ryan Shore Top Score from Classical MPR to discuss his score for a relaunched "Spy Hunter."

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/19/ryan-shore-spy-hunter-top-score-henry-mancini

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is a musical celebration of twenty-five years of Zelda melodies. The new episode of Top Score features a conversation with the producers of the tour...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/11/legend-of-zelda-symphony-of-the-goddesses-on-top-score

Christopher Tin kindly sent us five signed copies of "Calling All Dawns". Enter today for your chance to win a copy!

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/08/top-score-giveaway-calling-all-dawns-by-christopher-tin

Jessica Curry's chamber music score for indie game Dear Esther is a wonderful compliment to stunning visuals and compelling narrative.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/03/jessica-curry-dear-esther-top-score

Composer Christopher Tin is the featured guest on the new episode of Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/25/christopher-tin-top-score-cd-giveaway

A review of some of the best music from Jeremy Soule's soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/08/07/music-of-skyrim-on-top-score

Darren Korb created what he calls "acoustic frontier trip-hop" as the soundscape for the game Bastion. Hear Darren and his music on Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/01/darren-korb-and-bastion-on-top-score

Austin Wintory teamed up with thatgamecompany and Jenova Chen to create a terrific score for the game "Journey"

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/22/journey-austin-wintory-top-score

Three of the composers from Mass Effect 3 join Emily Reese for a conversation about their music on the newest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/08/mass-effect-3-top-score-hulick-dikiciyan-velasco

Two of my favorite things coincide on the new episode of Top Score: composer Richard Jacques, and LittleBigPlanet.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/04/04/richard-jacques-on-top-score-little-big-planet

Composer Ron Fish joins Top Score to talk about his music for Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Asylum, the God of War series and Sega Japan's Rise of Nightmares.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/03/07/ron-fish-batman-arkham-city-top-score

Mass Effect 3 comes out on March 6th, and Top Score has a preview of two new tracks, and a review of the music from the Mass Effect universe.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/23/mass-effect-3-preview-top-score

Composer Jesper Kyd visited MPR headquarters in November for Top Score's first live event. Check out the audio and video from the night!

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/01/31/jesper-kyd-event-mpr-top-score

Host of The Legacy Music Hour podcast, Brent Weinbach, joins Top Score to talk about his passion for the 8- and 16-bit era of video game music.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/01/09/old-school-video-game-music-on-top-score

Inon Zur returns to Top Score from Classical MPR to talk about his new score to Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Enter the drawing for a chance to win the Xbox version of Lord of the Rings --...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/12/19/inon-zur-lord-of-the-rings-top-score

Composer Jesper Kyd has written music for all four games in the Assassin's Creed series. Hear him talk about the experience in the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/12/05/jesper-kyd-top-score-assassins-creed

Greg Edmonson talks about his music for the Uncharted trilogy on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/11/17/greg-edmonson-top-score

Brian Tyler talks about his score for one of the most anticipated games of the year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the new episode of Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/11/03/brian-tyler-top-score-modern-warfare-3

Composer Bear McCreary is our guest on Top Score this week from Classical MPR. I first became interested in his music through my adoration of the relaunched "Battlestar Galactica" series on SyFy....

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/19/top-score-bear-mccreary

Composer Tom Salta applied a multifaceted musical background to create an immersive and highly interactive soundtrack for Eric Chahi's new game, "From Dust."

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/04/tom-salta-top-score-from-dust

The latest installment of Top Score features an interview with Boris Salchow, who composed the score for the recently released sci-fi shooter "Resistance 3."

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/18/boris-salchow-top-score

Veteran video game composer Martin O'Donnell talks about writing scores for ten years of Halo on the first episode of season 2 from Top Score on Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/06/top-score-martin-odonnell-halo-s2e1

Top Score, our podcast exploring video game music is announcing its second season. But in true game fashion, there's a challenge for you to figure out.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/19/top-score-season2

What does 20th-century American composer Milton Babbitt (1916-2011) have to do with video game music? A lot, as it turns out.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/03/top-score-laura-karpman

The game Heavy Rain was released in 2010 by Quantic Dream. Composer Normand Corbeil wrote the music and is the guest on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/07/13/heavy-rain-top-score-normand-corbeil

Rockstar Games turned to Bill Elm and Woody Jackson to create the music for "Red Dead Redemption." On this episode of Top Score from Classical MPR, Elm discusses he and Jackson's background in th...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/06/20/top-score-red-dead-redemption-bill-elm

Composer Sean Murray talks about his music for Call of Duty: Black Ops, game 7 in one of the most successful franchises in gaming history. Hear him on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Ra...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/06/07/black-ops-sean-murray-top-score-podcast

Composer Garry Schyman talks to Top Score about his music for BioShock, BioShock 2 and Dante's Inferno.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/05/23/top-score-episode-4-garry-schyman-bioshock

Composer Jason Graves created a gorgeous but terrifying score for Dead Space and Dead Space 2. Hear an interview with Jason on Episode 3 of Top Score from Classical MPR.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/05/09/top-score-jason-graves-dead-space

Episode Two of Top Score is all about Stacking, a delightful game with a classical soundtrack. Join Emily Reese for a conversation with Game Designer Lee Petty, Audio Director Brian Min and Compo...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/20/top-score-stacking-episode-2

Award-winning composer Inon Zur writes music for video games like Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and the two most recent games in the Fallout series. He talks about his journey and his job o...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/12/inon-zur-dragon-age