One of my favorite things about visiting Comic-Cons in different cities is the chance to see live performances from local artists, which also break up the hecticness of squeezing through the tight streets of Artist Alley for literally hours at a time. At Emerald City Comic-Con 2025 my favorite performance by far has been from Level Up! Vocal Ensemble, a local choir that highlights the beauty and versatility of video game music, a genre of music that deserves much more mainstream recognition and respect.
I have seen Level Up! perform many times over my decade living in Seattle, partly because my husband was the choir’s pianist for many years. However, even without the love of my life on stage, it is always such a joy to see the Level Up! performers putting their all into their craft, giving their audiences a truly enjoyable experience.
While Level Up! has countless local Seattle fans, I was interested to see what the turnout would be at ECCC, where many folks travel from out of town. Unsurprisingly, an entire show based on video game music was a HUGE draw for attendees, and there was barely a single seat left empty in the theater.
Level Up! has a vision: to help build a world where “video game music is appreciated and enjoyed by an ever-growing community,” based on the exciting conversations I heard on the way out of the show, I would say they are well on their way to making that vision a reality.
The set list for this special ECCC performance included “Unwearied Heart” from Halo 2: Anniversary, “Good Riddance” from Hades, and my personal favorite, the iconic “Still Alive” from the popular Portal. With conducting by Julie Sakalys, Eris Eaton, Errin Patton, and others, Level Up! shows always feel very professional, even though the entire choir is volunteer-run and doesn’t require auditions to join, a fact that still amazes me because of how talented everyone is!
If you’re a Seattle local who loves video games, music, or passionate people doing what they love, you should 100% go check out the Level Up! Vocal Ensemble! Their next concert is on May 31st, make sure to check their website in the coming weeks to find out more details about their Spring concert.
