The inaugural Canadian Video Game Awards on Wednesday (May 5) will feature Video Games Live, the concert spectacle created by Los Angeles musicians Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall.

Tallarico (Prince of Persia) and Wall (Mass Effect 1 and 2) are both veteran video-game music composers. At Video Games Live concerts, which Tallarico hosts and Wall conducts, music from popular games is performed by an orchestra and accompanied by video clips and a light show.

On Thursday (May 6) at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Video Games Live will be staging a stand-alone performance, complete with a full orchestra and choir assembled from the local music scene. The last time this concert series came to Vancouver saw a sold-out event with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2008.

The Queen E show (tickets $27.50 to $69.50) kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. for preshow activities including playable game demos and a Guitar Hero contest.