Interview: Eric Roth Talks NIER:ORCHESTRA CONCERT RE:12024 [ THE END OF DATA ]. at Carnegie Hall

On Sunday January 11, 2026 at 2 and 8 pm, AWR Music Productions and SQUARE ENIX CO. LTD will present NieR:Orchestra Concert re:12024 [ the end of data ]. This show is the Japan-exclusive reimagining of NieR:Orchestra Concert 12024 [ the end of data ]. This multimedia production unites a full orchestra and choir with high-definition game projections. It includes an original scenario written by director Yoko Taro and voiced by Yui Ishikawa (2B) and Natsuki Hanae (9S), with English subtitles. Yoko Taro, composer Keiichi Okabe, and producer Yosuke Saito will all be in attendance.

Read a conversation with the show’s conductor and music director, Eric Roth.

What do you want audiences to know about NieR:Orchestra Concert 12024 [ the end of data ]?

Thanks for asking! We’re actually performing NieR:Orchestra Concert re:12024 [ the end of data ] (note the “re”) this January. These concerts are the same as the performances in Japan this past summer, but a bit different from the concerts in 2024 and ‘25 which preceded those.

I’d like audiences to be aware that these multimedia, paradigm-shifting performances are a really special and rewarding experience, and they feature a lot of wonderful music too.

How did you first discover NieR? What drew you to working on this concert show based around it?

I became aware of the game/IP itself from different professional contacts (to use a pragmatic catch-all), largely impressed with the complexity and ambition of the subject matter and themes, elegance of the visual elements, and singular yet inclusive musical vision.

My first contact with the live NieR music was attending the Chicago performance for the 2020 tour and meeting the NieR team and Emi Evans then, but other than those interactions, I hadn’t worked on that tour directly. Some large disruption happened after the 2020 tour, and later on I leapt at the opportunity to conduct Okabe-san’s music and be a part of the tour in 2024, which then extended into 2025.

You also worked as arranger and music director for A New World: intimate music from FINAL FANTASY. What are some of the rewards and challenges of making grand orchestral arrangements of video game music?

I have created orchestra and chorus arrangements for game music (for Distant Worlds, for example), and A New World is a smaller ensemble than that, eleven musicians plus conductor.

The variety in video game music is awesome and non-finite, so are the rewards and challenges. Typically, since there are interactive aspects of musical form in games (even looped musical content, for example, corresponds to game action), the form always requires some creative adjustment for the concert stage. Beyond that, I could probably talk all day about the different challenges and rewards presented by particular video game composers’ respective music and styles, because I love music and these creative challenges are some of the most rewarding and fascinating I’ve experienced.

Aside from this concert, are you working on any other projects you'd like to share with us?

Most definitely. We just in early December announced The Music of Square Enix – Magic, Memories, and Melodies, which is a totally new production beginning this coming April. It’s really different in that it brings an assortment of awesome game music, prominent gaming communities and generations all together into one concert experience. I have a feeling that these shows are going to have a new energy too; one which seems more like a coming together of disparate but allied communities, musics, IPs to stand up and proudly enjoy the outstanding catalog and experience of SQUARE ENIX music in 2026 and beyond.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Yes. For anyone feeling apprehension about attending a game music concert when you are unfamiliar with the game or IP, I strongly suggest you release that burden and free yourself to share the joy we experience together at these concerts.