The MCR Interview:
A Conversation with Maestra Eímear Noone
Irish conductor and composer Eímear Noone has carved out a singular place in the world of music. Best known for her groundbreaking work in video game scores such as World of Warcraft and Diablo, she also made history in 2020 as the first woman to conduct the orchestra at the Academy Awards. In this interview with Brady Hammond for the Music City Review, Noone reflects on her unlikely beginnings in rural Ireland, her accidental entry into the gaming industry, her commitment to mentoring young women composers, and her belief that music must remain both profound and playful.
Brady Hammond (MCR): To get started, I always like to ask — how did you first know you wanted to pursue a career in music? Was there a certain moment that set you on this path?
Eímear Noone (EN): I knew from when I was a little kid. I didn’t come from a family of musicians, so I was just this oddball child in the Irish countryside who fell in love with the orchestra — and that was it. Listening to music gave me goosebumps, and I wanted to understand why that happened, how it worked, and how I could become part of it.
I grew up in an area of Ireland famous for traditional music. As kindergarteners, we were all handed tin whistles, and our village even had a well-known composer. Imagine that: in a town of fewer than 500 people, when a ball went over the schoolyard wall, it might be the local composer who kicked it back! That made the idea of being a composer very real to me.
Later I studied piano and then classical flute, which became my primary instrument. I received a scholarship to the conservatory in Dublin, where I also studied conducting. But what really mattered to me was that I could share music in a way that my dad — who knew little about orchestras — could instantly understand and feel. That remains a core part of my work today: creating concerts that speak to both experts and people hearing orchestral music for the very first time.
MCR: You’ve since become a major figure in video game music. How did that start?
EN: Honestly, by accident! My first credits were on Metal Gear Solid and World of Warcraft. I was about 23, helping with orchestration, and suddenly I looked up at the studio screen and thought, “This is different. This is special.” Those projects set me on a path I hadn’t planned, but they combined everything I loved — storytelling, orchestral sound, and the freedom to mix traditions.
I’ve always been fascinated by music that paints a picture. In classical terms, that’s “program music.” Contemporary video game scores are like film music meets Berlioz: highly visual, deeply atmospheric, and able to tell stories without words. I was, you know, kind of getting goosebumps. There was that feeling of this is this is important.
MCR: Do you approach composing for games differently than for the concert hall?
EN: In many ways it’s the same. Composers have always worked with visual or dramatic elements — look at Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, or even Lully writing for Louis XIV’s ballets and ceremonies. For me, scoring games is just the modern continuation of that tradition. It’s a collaborative medium: the visuals, the narrative, the gameplay, and the music all work together to immerse the player.
What I love most is that game audiences are so diverse. You can have seasoned concertgoers sitting next to people who have never seen an orchestra live. And they all get it — they all feel the story in the music. That kind of audience keeps me inspired.
MCR: The industry still struggles with gender imbalance. As a woman in a male-dominated field, what do you think needs to change?
EN:: Everybody needs a champion. I wouldn’t be where I am without mine — two men from the music side, and two women producers who made sure I had opportunities. So now my husband Craig and I mentor one female composer at a time, completely free, to give back. Our current mentee is about to begin a master’s program, and I know I’ll keep looking over her shoulder for years to come because she’s extraordinary.
But this can’t just be about mentorship. Studios need to make sure their music departments include women, full stop. There’s no excuse for those photos of massive teams with not a single woman.
“And importantly, inclusion must be about excellence — I only program music that’s outstanding.”
But I also make sure my concerts always feature multiple women alongside me. Representation matters, and the audience deserves diversity: all the flavors, not just half of them.
MCR: Speaking of audiences, what has the gaming community meant to you personally?
EN: Oh, I adore them. They’re curious, intelligent, and deeply connected to music. And unlike other areas of classical music, most of the composers are still alive — which means we’re all colleagues and friends, across cultures and countries. I love putting together programs where you hear music from Japan, Turkey, Ireland, the U.S. — all in one evening. That diversity of voices is essential to storytelling, and the audience can feel it.
MCR: You’ve described game music as both profound and playful. Can you expand on that?
EN: I love that the industry is maturing — games and their scores are getting more complex, more layered, more emotionally deep. But at the same time, we can’t forget play. The human spirit loves play. So while music can be serious and challenging, it should also bring joy. At the end of the day, I remind myself: I’m not doing brain surgery. No one’s going to die if I miss a note. But I do want to make sure the people on the other end are having fun.
MCR: And audiences in Nashville will get to experience that soon.
EN: Yes! I’ll be performing with the Nashville Symphony on September 12th. We’ve got some very special things planned. One that I can announce is that my friend Carly Smithson — from We Are the Fallen and American Idol — will join us as a rock vocalist. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers in Dublin, so this is going to be really meaningful. And there’s another surprise too… but I’ll keep that one under wraps for now.
MCR: We’ll be looking forward to it. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today.
EN: Thank you, Brady. It’s been a pleasure.
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Excerpt edited and condensed for clarity and space from Brady Hammond’s interview with Eímear Noone. For a wonderful video of the the full interview please follow the QR code to our Youtube Channel! Or click here
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As a software engineer for Microsoft by day, Brady Hammond moonlights as a musician, artist, writer, and all-around arts enthusiast in his free time. He received a B.A. in Linguistics from BYU in 2017 with minors in Scandinavian studies and computer science. Hailing originally from Georgia, Brady has enjoyed traveling the world. He spent some time living in Denmark before eventually returning to the states. He currently resides in Nashville with his wife and three children.
