Orchestra Immersion : Experience the OPRL Through Virtual Reality!
What if you could experience Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as though you were on stage, surrounded by the musicians? Filmed in 360° with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, this immersive video offers a new way to discover symphonic music. With "Orchestra immersion", the OPRL is developing a virtual reality experience that brings together technological innovation, cultural outreach and accessibility. From January 2027, this mobile initiative will reach audiences where they are, with an initial focus on hospitals and, in time, schools, care homes and other settings.
« Step Inside the Orchestra !»
Last July, the OPRL and Lionel Bringuier recorded Paul Dukas’s celebrated The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (immortalised by Mickey Mouse in Walt Disney’s Fantasia) on the stage of the Philharmonic Hall. Concealed among the music stands, not one but ten cameras captured a 360° view of what the 80 musicians experience, play and hear within this magnificent architectural setting.
While symphonic music is best experienced in a concert hall, bringing it to audiences who may be unable to attend in person—patients in hospitals, residents of care homes, pupils in schools far from major cultural centres, or music lovers thousands of kilometres away—is a fundamental challenge and one of the missions closest to the OPRL’s heart.
Music is meant to be shared with audiences and made accessible to as many people as possible, ideally in a concert hall, with an orchestra performing right in front of us. But to reach the widest possible audience, the OPRL makes use of all available technologies. Virtual reality offers an additional way to share music, alongside radio and audiovisual media.
Aline Sam-Giao, Executive director
A virtual reality headset for an on-stage musical experience
With "Orchestra immersion", the OPRL is bringing to life a 12-minute immersive video experience and acquiring a fleet of ten headsets for use in a range of locations, initially targeting audiences who face barriers to accessing live performances.
Viewers are transported into the heart of the orchestra, close to the conductor and the musicians. They can look freely in every direction and discover the instruments from unusual angles. They can choose their own viewpoint from among the ten cameras positioned within the orchestra, or opt for an automatic mode that switches between viewpoints in time with the music.
The experience offers a fresh perspective on the interactions between musicians, the collective energy of the ensemble and the full emotional power of the work.
Sharing music, widening access, reaching new audiences
Inspired by an initiative developed by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the OPRL has partnered with Cybel’ART, developer of the Virtual Hall platform, to bring this innovative project to life, placing people at the heart of digital technology. Alongside its musical and educational value, the experience offers a powerful emotional dimension, with an engaging and playful approach to cultural heritage.
It is a complete immersion in the orchestra, and I think it is wonderful that people who might not normally come to a concert can experience the orchestra performing in a philharmonic hall, bringing a legendary work such as Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to life. What we are trying to do with all the OPRL teams is to take the orchestra beyond the concert hall—to reach people in other settings, through tours, recordings, video productions and more. I think this project is absolutely wonderful.
Lionel BRINGUIER, Music director
Who is it for, and who makes it possible?
The project has already attracted the support of numerous corporate partners, primarily from the healthcare sector, and receives dedicated funding from the Province of Liège.
From early 2027, the initiative will be rolled out in hospitals over 42 days, reaching approximately 100 people per day. In time, it will also extend to schools, care homes and other settings.
This cultural outreach initiative directly supports the OPRL’s mission to make music accessible to the widest possible audience. It also reflects the dynamism of a major musical institution in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, committed to embracing the times in which it operates. This commitment is evident in its ongoing exploration of repertoire, concert formats and ways of engaging with audiences, as well as its continuing efforts to expand the channels through which its music can be shared.
Find out more about the orchestra immersion project
Watch the Orchestre en immersion presentation video, featuring Aline Sam-Giao, Lionel Bringuier, Benjamin Van Houte and others.