Immersive
The Philharmonia uses technology to connect with a growing audience beyond the concert hall, creating new artistic experiences that allow you to step inside the Orchestra.
Virtual reality
The Orchestra began working in VR in 2014, and we have created five experiences in 360 video showcasing the music of Beethoven, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams. These have toured internationally, reaching more than 30,000 visitors at events including the Rio Olympics, SXSW, and WIRED Japan.
In our showcase, we offer audiences the chance to put on a headset and experience our playing in ground-shaking detail, from the best seat in the house – onstage among the players.
We have developed a cutting-edge technique for showcasing our 360° performance films on Oculus Quest 2 headsets. The spatial audio mix recreates the effect of sitting in the orchestra with astonishing realism and detail, both in the small version of the installation, for individual participants wearing headphones, and the larger, speaker version for groups.
“It was absolutely amazing to be so close to the orchestra. I felt so many emotions: I cried with the lady with her violin, smiled with the members of the orchestra, danced, applauded. Bravo!” Audience member at the House of Digital Art, Mauritius – January 2024
“This was one of the most incredible things I’ve experienced – I felt like I was on stage with the orchestra. Unbelievable, brought me to tears.” Audience member at Southbank Centre, London – September 2024
To outside observers it may look comical, but from under the headset it is thrilling.
The Independent
Violinists’ bows are so close you flinch.
Evening Standard
An extraordinary glimpse inside the sights and sounds of a symphony orchestra.
The Guardian
Universe of Sound
The Philharmonia’s largest installation, Universe of Sound, transformed a performance of Holst’s The Planets into a ten-room exhibition than filled an entire building or gallery space. The piece was captured with 37 video cameras and 40+ multi-track audio.
Visitors walk through each different section of the Orchestra at their own pace, and set their own route. They choose to walk continually throughout the exhibition, or stay seated in one section for as long as they wish. The exhibition is interactive, allowing visitors to conduct the Orchestra, following the hand movements of conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, and play along with our percusisonists.
Universe of Sound, and its predecessor exhibition, RE-RITE, based on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, toured internationally and were experienced by over 300,000 people.
Walking through Universe of Sound
Research & development
In 2020, the Philharmonia Orchestra partnered with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Manchester International Festival, and Marshmallow Laser Feast to create Dream, a pioneering live digital performance. Inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dream combined cutting-edge gaming technology, live performance, and interactive music, offering audiences a unique online experience.
Set in a virtual midsummer forest, the performance allowed audiences to influence the show in real time from their devices. Guided by Puck, participants explored an enchanted world brought to life by motion capture technology, interactive visuals, and a symphonic score performed by the Philharmonia. The music adapted dynamically to actors’ movements, blending pre-recorded orchestral tracks with live interactivity.
Part of the UK’s Audience of the Future program, Dream showcased the potential of immersive technologies to reshape live performance, breaking boundaries between theatre, music, and digital innovation.
The consortium comprised:
Arts organisations: Royal Shakespeare Company (lead partner); Philharmonia Orchestra; Punchdrunk; Manchester International Festival; Marshmallow Laser Feast.
Technology partners: Magic Leap; Intel; Epic Games
Research partners: De Montfort University; I2 Media Research Limited (part of Goldsmiths College); NESTA; PHI Centre; University of Portsmouth; The Space
DREAM – A live, online performance set in a virtual midsummer forest.