Pokémon’s 30th anniversary celebration reached a deeply nostalgic note at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles.
On July 21, 2026, composer and songwriter Ed Goldfarb and voice actor and vocalist Haven Paschall came together for Celebrating Pokémon: 30 Years of Music, a live performance and conversation honoring the music that has helped shape the franchise across games, television, movies, and generations of fans.
Hosted and moderated by anime and game composer Mason Lieberman, the evening traced Pokémon’s musical legacy from its earliest Game Boy compositions to the vocal themes and score work that have carried the animated series into its modern era. Lieberman also joined the performance on bass during several numbers, helping turn the night into both a conversation and a live celebration.
A Night Built Around Memory and Melody
The program took place inside the GRAMMY Museum’s intimate theater, where a piano and microphones were set for Goldfarb and Paschall. That smaller setting worked in the event’s favor. Pokémon music is tied to huge memories for so many fans, but hearing it performed in a focused room made the songs feel personal.
Goldfarb and Paschall opened the night with the first Pokémon music ever composed, written by Junichi Masuda for the original Game Boy titles. From there, the program moved through selections spanning the franchise’s game and television history, highlighting how much Pokémon’s musical identity has evolved over the last three decades.
For longtime fans, that structure gave the evening a strong emotional foundation. The music was not presented as background sound. It was treated as part of the franchise’s storytelling language, a piece of Pokémon history that has connected players and viewers across different eras.
Ed Goldfarb Reflects on Scoring Pokémon
Goldfarb, who has been the composer and theme songwriter for the international version of Pokémon the Series since 2013, shared stories about his approach to writing for the franchise.
During the conversation, he explained that he composes with the intention of giving each Pokémon its own distinct musical arrangement. That detail stood out because it speaks to the care behind the score. Pokémon is a world built on personality, movement, emotion, and identity, and Goldfarb’s approach helps make each creature feel musically specific rather than interchangeable.
He also credited the team that has cataloged Pokémon music over the years, thanking them for helping preserve the franchise’s score. For a property with decades of games, television episodes, films, themes, and musical cues, that preservation work matters. It keeps the music connected to the larger legacy of the franchise.
Goldfarb also spoke about having the opportunity to collaborate directly with Masuda on past projects, creating a meaningful bridge between Pokémon’s earliest game music and its later animated storytelling.
Haven Paschall Brings the Songs to Life
Haven Paschall brought a strong vocal presence to the evening, performing music from across the Pokémon games and animated series.
Paschall is well known to Pokémon fans as the English-language voice of Serena in Pokémon the Series: XYZ, along with roles including Slurpuff, Salandit, Swirlix, Pumpkaboo, Gourgeist, Cosmog, Risa, and Rockruff. She has also become closely tied to the franchise’s music as a featured vocalist on several Pokémon songs, including “I Choose You,” “Under the Alolan Moon,” “The Power of Us,” “Journey to your Heart,” “Becoming Me,” “My Favorite Pokémon,” and “Evolving Again.”
Goldfarb shared that he always wants Paschall involved in his work on Pokémon, and it was easy to understand why. Her voice carries the emotional brightness, sincerity, and sense of adventure that defines so much of the franchise’s musical world.
When asked about his most significant contribution to the series, Goldfarb pointed to “I Choose You,” a song featuring Paschall’s vocals. That moment captured the heart of the evening. Pokémon music works because it connects directly to feeling: friendship, courage, discovery, and the bond between people and Pokémon.
Mason Lieberman Helped Guide the Celebration
Mason Lieberman served as host and moderator for the evening, guiding the conversation and audience Q&A while also joining Goldfarb and Paschall onstage during parts of the performance.
His presence added another layer to the event because he brought the perspective of someone who understands both anime music and game music as living fan cultures. As moderator, he helped frame the discussion around the emotional and technical sides of the work. As a musician, he helped round out the arrangements with bass, giving the performances a fuller sound.
That balance made the event feel less like a standard panel and more like a musical conversation across generations of Pokémon fandom.
A Celebration for Fans and Collaborators
The audience included longtime Pokémon fans as well as people who have worked on the franchise’s music over the years. That mix gave the room a special energy.
This was not just about nostalgia, though nostalgia was clearly part of it. The evening also highlighted how much work goes into keeping a franchise’s sound alive for decades. Pokémon’s music has had to evolve across hardware, television eras, global audiences, changing animation styles, and new generations of fans, all while still feeling connected to the spirit of adventure that began with the earliest games.
That is what made the GRAMMY Museum setting feel appropriate. The event treated Pokémon music as something worthy of serious reflection, not just childhood memory. It honored the craft behind the songs while still leaving room for the joy that makes the franchise so beloved.
Pokémon’s 30-Year Musical Legacy Still Resonates
As Pokémon continues its yearlong 30th anniversary celebration, Celebrating Pokémon: 30 Years of Music offered a reminder of how central music has been to the franchise’s global impact.
The melodies, themes, and vocal performances are part of how fans remember their journeys through the Pokémon world. Whether tied to a Game Boy screen, a television opening, a movie, or a favorite character moment, the music has helped define the emotional language of the franchise.
Goldfarb, Paschall, and Lieberman gave fans a thoughtful and heartfelt look at that legacy. The night celebrated where Pokémon music began, how it has grown, and why it still means so much to the people who continue to carry these songs with them.
For fans in attendance, it was more than a anniversary program. It was a reminder that Pokémon’s music is not just something we hear. It is something we remember.
Event Details
Celebrating Pokémon: 30 Years of Music took place on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles.
More information on the event is available here:
https://www.universe.com/events/celebrating-pokemon-30-years-of-music-tickets-TLJDQB
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