The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (OPRL) has produced "Orchestre en immersion", a virtual reality experience that places viewers inside the orchestra. It combines technology, cultural mediation and accessibility, and is meant to reach people who cannot easily attend concerts in a hall. Touring use is scheduled to begin in January 2027, so the deployment is still at the planning stage.
How the experience works
In July 2026 the OPRL and music director Lionel Bringuier recorded Paul Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice at the Salle philharmonique de Liège. Ten cameras were placed among the music stands and captured the 80 musicians in 360 degrees. The result is a 12-minute immersive video. Viewers can pick any of the ten camera viewpoints themselves or follow an automatic mode that switches viewpoints as the music unfolds.
The OPRL followed the model of an experience run by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and worked with Cybel'ART, developer of the Virtual Hall platform. The orchestra's page links a Virtual Hall app for VR headsets.
Planned rollout
- Fleet: the OPRL is buying 10 VR headsets for itinerant use, first with audiences unable to attend concerts.
- Start: the touring set-up is scheduled from January 2027.
- First phase: hospitals, with 42 days of sessions planned and about 100 people expected per day. These are planning figures, not measured results.
- Later: schools and care homes.
The project is supported by partner companies, mainly in the healthcare sector, and by a dedicated subsidy from the Province de Liège.
Why the orchestra is doing it
Managing director Aline Sam-Giao presents virtual reality as one more way to broadcast the orchestra's music, alongside radio and audiovisual productions. Bringuier describes the project as part of taking the orchestra beyond its walls, through tours, recordings and video captures.
