The Philharmonia announces it is the first orchestra to collaborate with Bloomberg Connects to create a new guide for audiences

• The Philharmonia’s free Bloomberg Connects guide will offer unique insights to audiences ahead of the season opener on 26 September which kicks off the Nordic Soundscapes Series, and other concerts in the season
• Interactive technology also features from 26 – 29 September with the Philharmonia’s pioneering Virtual Orchestra,  this time focusing on the music of Sibelius, available for anyone to experience at the Royal Festival Hall for free

The Philharmonia continues its aptitude for technological adventure today by launching a guide on the Bloomberg Connects app – the first orchestra in the world to do so. The app gives unique insights into music and performances in the lead up to concert experience. The Philharmonia hopes to break down barriers for audiences, whether a first timer or an aficionado, the content provides insight into both the Orchestra and the upcoming programme.

The rich, varied and insightful information and content in the guides will be widely accessible and unpack a lot of the mystique and complexity sometimes perceived to surround the world of classical music. The Philharmonia has adapted the Bloomberg Connects venue-based map to instead represent the typical orchestra layout, providing a distinctive user experience that highlights the Philharmonia’s identity as a touring orchestra.  Full of fun facts, it is ideal for use at home in the days leading up to an event, or prior to a concert at the venue, and is a great way to complement your experience.

The Bloomberg Connects app provides virtual guides for organisations across the world, connecting people to arts and culture at any time, from anywhere. The guide will give audiences additional content for ‘featured concerts’, including the season opener Santtu conducts Sibelius and Grieg (26 September), Marin Alsop conducts Mahler’s Fifth Symphony (24 October), Sibelius & Grieg: In the Land of the Mountain King (27 October); María Dueñas plays Sibelius (3 November) and Santtu and Jess Gillam (1 December). 

Download the FREE Bloomberg Connects app here: https://links.bloombergconnects.org/6Ggw/yal5w6ju 

Throughout the opening weekend, the Philharmonia returns to its focus on digital innovation, presenting a free Virtual Orchestra – Sibelius virtual reality experience. Wearing a VR headset, the viewer has the opportunity to experience what it’s like to sit right in the middle of the orchestra during a performance of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5, and to soar over vast Finnish landscapes.

In Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s fourth season as Principal Conductor, the Philharmonia is focusing on Santtu’s love of nature, and the influence of the natural world on music by Nordic composers. Exploring the relationship between music, nature and the climate crisis from a Nordic perspective, Nordic Soundscapes (26 Sep – 10 Nov) features the music of Sibelius, Grieg and Nielsen alongside 7 UK premieres from contemporary Nordic composers. Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali opens the London season with pianist Stephen Hough and the Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat Male Voice Choir from Helsinki in an exhilarating programme of Sibelius and Grieg, including a rare chance to hear Sibelius’s Kullervo on Thursday 26 September.

The series also includes four free Notes on Nature discussions that will delve to the themes of the series. A Nordic Soundscapes Pass is available for purchase to ensure excellent value for money and great seats for every London event in the series.