VIRTUAL HALL® approaches classical listening not as a fixed seat facing a stage, but as a mobile presence within the orchestra. The original article, published on 4 February 2025, introduces an experience in which image, sound and interface let audiences observe a performance from several positions. The aim is not to replace a concert. It is to open another way of moving through it, with attention and curiosity.
Entering the musical scene
The proposal combines high-resolution 360° video with immersive sound. Together, these elements are intended to bring the listener closer to the musicians and to the gestures that shape a work. Users can move between viewpoints, from the first violin to the conductor, instead of remaining with a single perspective. That freedom to look around makes exploration a tangible part of the experience and connects with Cybel’Art’s work on XR experiences.
Listening, watching, following
The platform described in the article also pairs the music with a conductor’s score synchronised in real time. This feature offers reference points for people who wish to follow the work’s structure while listening. It can support an educational approach to instruments, entries and conducting without imposing one interpretation of a performance. Viewpoint choice remains central: audiences can return to a musician, widen their view or follow the conductor according to what they want to hear.
Clear credits and a vision in context
The original presentation connects VIRTUAL HALL® with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) and Cybel’Art, and names Real Illusions Engine® as its technical environment. The listed functions — 360° video, immersive sound, customisable angles and a synchronised score — belong to the operational proposal described by the article. Its invitation to reshape one’s relationship with classical music is an editorial vision, not a guarantee of current access, catalogue availability or required equipment.
The first public OSR VIRTUAL HALL® trials are dated January 2025. VIRTUAL HALL®’s EMS presence belongs to 2026, so it should not be confused with this post’s publication date or used to predate that work. To place this approach alongside the agency’s projects, explore our work and the icolo universe.
Editorial adaptation of the article by Pierluigi Christophe Orunesu, originally published on Substack on 4 February 2025. Read the original article on Substack