On the evening of Sept. 6, 2026, American-Canadian conductor Andrew Crust and a group of musicians from the Calgary area performed a two hour arrangement of music from Undertale, the renowned 2015 role-playing video game (RPG) created by Toby Fox.
Undertale: The Determination Symphony is a worldwide tour with dates from August 2026 to February 2027 and each show is played by a locally contracted 25-piece orchestra.
The Calgary show was performed at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium to a virtually sold-out audience of all ages, donning formalwear, casual clothing and cosplay alike.
A major portion of the audience were young adults and students — those who would likely have first enjoyed the game as children or teenagers and have been fans for quite some time.
Having only played Undertale for the first time this summer, I was invited to the concert by my friend who has been a fan of the game for the past 10 years.
I consider myself newer to the gaming community as a whole. My childhood was primarily spent exploring empty Minecraft worlds and going cart surfing in Club Penguin, and I have never owned a console. However, spending the last few months playing games I have always heard about but never experienced, I quickly gained an appreciation for how writing, art, and music are masterfully woven together in the medium, from indie productions to billion-dollar franchises. Undertale was one of the most standout recent plays for me, and the symphony only solidified my newfound appreciation.
At the symphony, above the stage where the orchestra sat, a screen displayed pre-recorded gameplay footage in conjunction with each track being played.
The concert was a stunning translation of 8-bit to orchestral music, and as simple as the graphics were, they added so much to the experience. I was lucky to have a clear view of both the stage and the screen, and the addition of shifting rainbow lights illuminating the orchestra players was enchanting and only furthered the immersion. I thought it was such a nice creative touch.
The combination of familiar artwork and dialogue with a dazzling rearrangement of an established and well-known soundtrack made for a magical experience, and my well-versed friend and I both agreed that the experience felt like being taken back to playing the game for the very first time.
Video game soundtracks being brought to the orchestra is no new phenomenon.
Video Games Live has played music from popular modern and retro games in Calgary over a dozen times since 2007. Additionally, acclaimed video game conductor Eímear Noone led the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in a show titled Gamesymphonic at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium this past March. Gamesymphonic featured music from League of Legends, Hades, Fortnite, Baldur’s Gate III, Kingdom Hearts, and more.
However, the crowd drawn by the Determination Symphony was uniquely notable. After all, it isn’t every day that a piece of media created by one person draws so much attention.
Undertale is a game almost singlehandedly written, coded, designed, composed and produced independently by Toby Fox. Though Fox is not the only person who contributed to the art and writing for the game, I believe it is extremely important to acknowledge the power and impact of a single imaginative vision. If a tribute to an indie game can draw a crowd close to the Jubilee’s capacity of 2,500 people, it is clear that independent creative pursuits by anyone can potentially have significant impacts.
I saw the show as not only a love letter to Undertale and its robust fandom, but to creativity itself, in all forms. The 25 instrumentalists played with intense fervour, their dedication and practice shining through each song. During the show, I thought about the lighting artists and sound designers behind the scenes. I thought about the cosplayers watching the show who meticulously designed their costumes for this very night. I thought about all the creative work poured into every moment in that room.
It was clear that the performance was a nostalgia trip for many, with cheers erupting at appearances of fan-favourite characters and iconic musical pieces. The show was a delight for old and new fans alike. Even those with no prior knowledge or experience of the game would have appreciated the immersion that the combination of professionally performed live music and gameplay footage created.
The evening was a moving showcase of music, talent, community, and most importantly determination. Though events like this are sometimes seen as “corny”, having been there myself, I would stand to disagree. Anyone who has an appreciation for the power of music and human creativity, regardless of their background knowledge, would enjoy an event like The Determination Symphony.
