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.

Composer Ryan Ike got his career started at 'Gunpoint'

Aug 13th, 2015 21m 42s

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 more about Ryan Ike on this week's episode of To

Serious music for a casual game

Aug 6th, 2015 14m 31s

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 recording session. Holmstrom is Emily Reese's gu

A musicologist's look at 'Final Fantasy VI'

Jul 30th, 2015 19m 59s

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 musicologists study the impact of music in video games.

Tom Salta's bold choice for subtle music

Jul 23rd, 2015 19m 50s

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 enlisted the help of the New York Film Chorale an

Top Score says, 'Thank You, Pierce'

Jul 22nd, 2015 13m 1s

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 award for which Top Score is forever grateful.

What's old-school is new again for Michael Schiciano

Jul 16th, 2015 19m 39s

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 techniques to create music for smartphone games.

Do a Barrel Roll create innovative covers of game music

Jul 15th, 2015 21m 30s

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 always wanted to say that,' Emily says. Listen to

Sam Dillard is a one-man music-making machine

Jul 9th, 2015 20m 41s

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 this week's episode of Top Score.

Chris Huelsbeck's career leaps to next stage

Jul 2nd, 2015 15m 48s

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, he's crowd-funded a new album of piano works. Lea

John Robert Matz composes for concert band and video games

Jun 25th, 2015 15m 4s

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 distinct styles. He also shares some 'sneak peaks' in

Leslie Ann Jones is a Jedi of sound engineers

Jun 18th, 2015 15m 28s

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 video games, and has three Grammys to boot, which

Triforce Quartet: from one recital to working ensemble

Jun 11th, 2015 17m 49s

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 avid gamers. Schwartz talks to Top Score host Emil

Scoring Helsinki and 'The Legend of Grimrock II'

Jun 4th, 2015 22m 11s

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 Score.

Top Score: Composer Paul Ruskay

May 28th, 2015 24m 29s

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 original version, composed 15 years ago.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music stretches bounds

May 21st, 2015 21m 9s

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) program. Learn about and hear performances from t

Composing music in full color

May 14th, 2015 16m 15s

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 Emily Reese's guest on this week's Top Score.

missingNo's jazzy video-game arrangements

May 7th, 2015 19m 42s

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.

Penka Kouneva and a composer's 'authentic voice'

Apr 30th, 2015 17m 11s

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 questions with composer Penka Kouneva.

Top Score: Brutal honesty brings success on 'Massive Chalice'

Apr 23rd, 2015 19m 28s

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 pointers for other collaborative composers.

A sweet and dramatic score for 'Ori and the Blind Forest'

Apr 16th, 2015 32m 10s

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.

Creating powerful and engaging game soundtracks

Apr 9th, 2015 19m 51s

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.

Heard melodies are sweet for a Grecian game

Apr 2nd, 2015 21m 13s

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 week's Top Score.

Top Score: Cris Velasco goes for Baroque

Mar 26th, 2015 21m 24s

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 game's 18th-century setting.

Jeff Ball: from commercial fisherman to composer

Mar 19th, 2015 23m 23s

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 guest on this week's Top Score.