By Mike Romero
In another win for the Provo music scene, two BYU alumni – both graduates from the BYU Commercial Music Program – have been nominated for a Grammy Award. Peter Murray and J Scott Rakozy, together with Big Idea Music Productions founder Chuck E. Myers were nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
This award goes to composers that crafted an original score created specifically for (or as a companion to) a video game or other piece of interactive media. In this case, Murray, Rakozy, and Myers were nominated for composing the soundtrack for Hogwarts Legacy, which was developed by Salt Lake City game developer Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games. The game sold 12 million copies within two weeks of its launch. By May, the game had grossed $1 billion.
“It truly is an honor with Chuck and Peter that our love and passion for Hogwarts Legacy has been recognized,” Rakozy said in an online statement. “And [it’s] an even bigger honor to be alongside some monumental giants in the video gaming industry!” Rakozy credits his friends and mentors Ron Saltmarsh (the head of BYU’s Commercial Music Program) and Sam Cardon (a Utahn and accomplished film and television composer) for his education.
In addition to the Grammy nomination, Peter Murray said they also had the opportunity to attend the Video Game Awards 10-year Concert last June. The concert was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in LA.
“What an incredible night, listening to a world-class orchestra perform music that I helped compose!” said Murray. “We got to see and hear so many amazing people and pieces from the video game industry.”
Under the direction of Lorne Balfe (Mission Impossible: Fallout, His Dark Materials, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves), the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed music from the top video games of the last few years, including God of War, League of Legends, Starfield, The Last of Us, Hogwarts Legacy, and more.
Chuck E. Myers brought a wealth of experience to the team as well. His company, Big Idea, is one of the leading video game music production companies in the world with over 50 top-selling and award-winning video game soundtracks. He’s also helped produced recordings for bands like Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, and Simple Plan. Big Idea is headquartered in Sandy, Utah.
The 66th Grammy Awards will be held on February 4, 2024 at the Crypto.com Arena in LA. Check out the trailer for the full-length documentary about the making of Hogwarts Legacy below. Murray and Myers appear at 0:46.