While it may have been the last panel of BlizzCon, the Blizzard Sound panel was a special treat for music lovers. Featuring Blizzard Entertainment Director of Audio, Russell Brower, at the helm of a group of talented composers and musicians, audience members were treated to live music and lively discussion centered around the creation of Blizzard Entertainment’s distinctive musical scores. Special guests included David Arkenstone, Susan Winsberg, Tommy Morgan, Seth Osburn, and Laurence Juber.

The panel kicked off with composer David Arkenstone presenting a medley of music from the upcoming World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion along with a more familiar piece from the Taverns of Azeroth. After which a round-table discussion featuring Blizzard Entertainment composers Derek Duke and Glenn Stafford, along with Arkenstone and composer Neal Acree was held in which the composers shared some of their creative processes and favorite new Cataclysm pieces. Additional selections were performed from the new Cataclysm soundtrack to close out the first segment of the panel.

During the panel, a new partnership with Alfred Music Publishing was announce to create a number of product lines based on Blizzard Music -- in addition to the “intermediate piano” sheet music that debuted at BlizzCon (including “Lament of the Highborne” and “Invincible”), the line will include a beginner’s series, piano anthology, marching band scores, practice music, choral works, and professional orchestral score rentals. Future pieces of sheet music will be available for titles such as “Kharazan” and “The Shaping of the World,” with more to be announced in the future. The new “Fall of the Lich King” soundtrack was also revealed, complete with the emotionally charged “Invincible.

Moving on from Azeroth and into the Koprulu Sector, the panelists discussed the making of the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty music and the process of capturing the sonic spirit of the original StarCraft. Special guest panelist and legendary harmonica player Tommy Morgan took a moment to discuss his work and the harmonica’s place in traditional spaghetti westerns. Morgan closed out the panel with a soulful performance of the StarCraft II piece “Public Enemy” with special guest Laurence Juber -- fittingly ending things on a musical note as the audience gets ready for Tenacious D’s closing-ceremony concert.