Zach Nicely
Zach is a NYC-based conductor specializing in programming video game music (VGM) with traditional classical repertoire. He is the Music Director of Press Start Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to these hybrid programs.
These programs are nationally recognized for their creativity and artistic excellence. Zach was recruited by Mannes School of Music to develop such an ensemble for their pre-college program, establishing the Game Orchestra at Mannes Prep. For his first season with PSO, Zach is a finalist for The American Prize in Orchestral Programming—Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award, Professional Division.
Zach is an active advocate for VGM in classical spaces and classical music with the VGM fanbase. He is frequently called as a guest conductor and game music lecturer by ensembles, universities, and game music conferences across the country. His essay “Video Game Music: A Connection Beyond the Controller” was published in the Lexia Undergraduate Journal in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication by the first unanimous vote of the journal’s editorial committee.
Press Start Publishing
When an orchestra produces a video game music concert, the house is packed, and the audience is the most passionate audience you'll ever see in that space. Their silence is so much quieter, their applause and cheers are electric. We've never seen so many tears shed in a concert hall.
These giant-multimedia concerts, as much as we love them, are not sustainable. Few orchestras can afford such events, and if they can it's only once every few years. Press Start Publishing's mission is to provide orchestras access to affordable, high-quality orchestrations of video game music and empowering orchestras to build relationships with their local gaming communities.
While you can program an all-VGM concert from our catalogue, you can also add one or a few pieces to your classical programs—in fact, we encourage this! Curious how that would work? Check out sample programs to inspire your season planning here.