GRAMMY-Winning 8-Bit Big Band Brings Video Game Jazz to Miller Theater

Breaking news to your phone. US mobile only. No password required.

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

Founded by composer Charlie Rosen, the ensemble has earned two GRAMMY Awards for arrangements of video game music.

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for Pennsylvania & beyond. No password required.

Ensemble Arts Philly and MGP Live continue its Jazz Series with a performance by The 8-Bit Big Band, the multi-GRAMMY Award-winning symphonic jazz orchestra known for transforming video game soundtracks into large-ensemble jazz works. The group takes the Miller Theater stage on October 24, 2026 at 8pm.

Get all the top news & discounts for Pennsylvania & beyond.

Founded and led by composer, arranger, and conductor Charlie Rosen , The 8-Bit Big Band was created to reexamine some of video gaming's most recognizable music, rearranging it in ways that push past the source material's original limitations. Rosen describes the ongoing project as an effort to build what he calls "The Great Video Game Songbook," treating melodies once confined to background loops as material worthy of serious large-ensemble arrangement.

Since forming in 2017 with the debut album Press Start, the band has released a string of records that trace its growth, including Choose Your Character in 2018, Backwards Compatible in 2022, and Game Changer in 2023. Backwards Compatible earned the band its first GRAMMY Award, for Rosen and Jake Silverman's arrangement of "Meta Knight's Revenge." The band's most recent album, Orchestrator Emulator, brought a second GRAMMY Award earlier this year: Rosen, Bryan Carter , and Matthew Whitaker won Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for "Super Mario Praise Break," a gospel-inflected arrangement built from themes across the Super Mario catalog. A sixth album is currently in progress, with release planned for next year.

The ensemble has built an audience well beyond the jazz world, drawing close to half a million social media followers and millions of YouTube views, and regularly selling out venues. Its work has drawn attention from The New York Times, Forbes, and Jazziz, the latter noting that the group is redefining the concept of a modern big band.

The Philadelphia performance offers audiences a chance to hear these arrangements performed live by the full orchestra, in a setting built for the kind of detailed, high-volume musicianship the band's recordings are known for.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

R. Eric Thomas to Host 2026 Barrymore Awards in Philadelphia

Video: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Walnut St. Theatre

Video: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Arden Theatre

Photos: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Arden Theatre Company

Also text me

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time A.A. Cristi Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news and show discounts. No password required.

Breaking Broadway news on your phone. US mobile numbers only.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/THE-8-BIT-BIG-BAND-to-Perform-at-Miller-Theater-20261007)._