[Pictures Copyrighted to Beth Walsh Photography- www.bethwalsh.co.uk]

The Philharmonia Orchestra will launch a new immersive virtual reality experience, “Virtual Orchestra: William Tell,” on May 27 and 28 at the Southbank Centre in London.

Designed primarily for children and young people, the experience places participants inside the orchestra as it performs Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture. Users can select from percussion instruments including cymbals, timpani, and triangle, developing skills through guided tutorials before joining a full orchestral performance in a virtual concert hall setting.

The experience was filmed at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2025 and conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. Coaching is provided by Philharmonia percussionist Tom Edwards, while British musician and producer Love Ssega guides participants through the experience.

“For over a decade, the Philharmonia Orchestra has pioneered immersive musical experiences, and ‘Virtual Orchestra: William Tell’ takes that work into a new phase where we ask audiences to participate rather than observe. For the first time in our VR work, users can take up a virtual instrument, develop skills through guided practice, and perform with the orchestra onstage, among the musicians, in concert,” said Marta Génova, the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Head of Digital Product and Experience, per an official press release. “Through R&D collaboration with percussionist Tom Edwards, Meta Camera and Schallgeber, we have developed new ways to connect artists and audiences, reducing barriers to engagement and making cultural spaces more welcoming to participants.”

The project was supported by a £99,284 grant from Innovate UK and the DCMS Create Growth Programme and was piloted with a Year Seven cohort from 13 schools across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. A curriculum-linked programme for Key Stage 3, with teacher resources and CPD support, has been developed alongside the experience.

Sessions at the Southbank Centre will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time on May 27 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on May 28.