Popular video game gets a symphonic transformation

Dressed as a Stardew Valley NPC (nonplayer character), Peng Xinyi, a 22-year-old woman who attended the Beijing Symphony of Seasons concert, exhales: "This was my second time at a symphony, but the first time experiencing one with synchronized visuals on screen. It felt completely different and was incredibly fun."

Stardew Valley, the farming simulation game created entirely by developer Eric Barone (ConcernedApe), was released in 2016. It has since sold over 30 million copies worldwide and become a hit among China's youth.

The concert is the second official Stardew Valley touring production following Festival of Seasons, featuring a 35-piece orchestra performing the game's most memorable music, while a screen above the stage displays synchronized gameplay footage and exclusive visual content created for the show.

Curated by Barone, the composer of the game's original soundtrack, Symphony of Seasons guides the audience through a musical narrative spanning the game's four seasons and key locations, such as Pelican Town, Ginger Island and the Wizard's Tower.

After launching its first show in Seattle, Washington, three months ago, the tour began its musical journey in China in October, with performances already held in Beijing and Guangdong province's Shenzhen and Guangzhou. It is scheduled to present two more shows in Shanghai in November.

The concert's arrival in China was made possible by consistent fan support. "Our company specializes in producing video game music concerts. Many of our employees are fans of this game, so a few years ago we approached Barone and proposed the idea of a tour," says concert producer Gaetano Fazio, CEO of the production company SOHO Live.

For the critical task of local execution in China, the tour partnered with Wu Entertainment and 54 Entertainment, selected for their experience in promoting international shows. According to Jamie Lee, managing director of Wu Entertainment, their partnership with 54 Entertainment this year also included the movie music concert Lalaland and the game music concert Death Stranding.

"We are dedicated to organizing performances at the intersection of classical music and popular culture," she explains. "We aim to draw new audiences into concert halls by presenting symphonic music alongside content they already know and love, while preserving the essence of the orchestra."

This philosophy guided their hands-on approach to the domestic shows. Key tasks, such as proposing a tour itinerary, selecting performance venues, and coordinating local orchestras, were all managed to faithfully re-create the Stardew Valley experience.

As an orchestra performing with videos on a screen, the concert requires a versatile orchestral performance, including adapting to new arrangements that fuse electronic and jazz music, integrating instruments, such as the banjo and sitar, and maintaining precise synchronization with the visual narrative.

Yuan Qi, the concert's orchestra coordinator, states that the primary challenge for the orchestra was mastering the rhythm specific to the new arrangements. "We have been refining this throughout rehearsals, and there is a screen stationed before every principal player to ensure that the performance is precisely timed to the corresponding on-screen visuals," he notes.

The efforts translate directly into the immersive emotional experience for the audience. Peng describes it as "a profoundly happy evening", and expresses a deep sense of belonging while enjoying the show with fellow fans. "I teared up the moment the music started," she says. "It's a world where a simple gift can build a friendship and hard work always pays off. How I wish life could be like that in the game."

The performance underscores a growing trend of fusing popular IPs and a symphony orchestra, a format that is successfully attracting a new, younger generation to symphony orchestra concerts.

Building on this success, it is confirmed that additional Stardew Valley concert tours in China are in the planning stages, promising to bring more fans back to the world of Pelican Town.

Lin Ke'er contributed to this story.